Conan the Barbarian # 6 Review

More Comics
Conan the Barbarian # 6 Review
By Andy Frisk
July 20, 2012 - 13:35

Dark Horse Comics
Writer(s): Brian Wood
Penciller(s): James Harren
Inker(s): James Harren
Colourist(s): Dave Stewart
Letterer(s): Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Cover Artist(s): Massimo Carnevale
$3.50 US

Conan continues to very bloodily battle his way free of the city guards of Argos in his attempt to reunite with his beloved Belit. The road is not an easy one to the docks where The Tigress is docked both physically and mentally for Conan, but his love for Belit is too powerful for him to be stopped.

"You fear the violence of a life aboard a pirate ship. You fear the gray area of morality. You fear retribution and you fear your own death." Conan the Barbarian described as fearing something? Rarely have we seen Conan characterized this way, and still be the fearless bloody warrior we all know and love. Conan, in "The Argos Deception Part 3," does have these fears, but they do not cause his hand to waver. Rather they reinforce his drive be by Belit's side. The two are both sides of the same coin, and only with her does Conan feel complete at this young stage in his life. Wood's characterization of Conan is unlike (and as good as) any we've recently seen. His giving Conan a sense of morality, however thin or buried under his barbarian ways is also a touch that does the character well by giving him some justifiable internal conflict.

Speaking of conflict, there is plenty of physical conflict in Conan the Barbarian #6 and artist James Harren brings it to very bloody, if a bit cartoonish, life. Harren is unique amongst sequential artists. His backgrounds and cityscapes are beautifully sharp and crisp, but his characters, their clothes, and their anatomies are odd looking. While I personally miss Becky Cloonan's art on this book, Harris is a good fit for Wood's narrative. His panels are as packed with things to look as Wood's story is packed with smart characterization.

Brian Wood is a brilliant writer, and here, in Dark Horse Comics' Conan the Barbarian, his full talent is on stunning display.

Rating: 9/10