In the frying pan of the arena, Conan and Yanna are forced to fight one another in the arena. It’s kill or be killed, as survival instincts take over, overriding the friendship they knew as children. But every frying pan has its fire, resulting in their enslavement aboard a pirate vessel bound for the waters off Zingara. And a woman aboard a ship is no small thing to superstitious sailors.

There are ample call backs for fans of either franchise, Cimmerian or super-hero. And answers begin to come, cloudy though they may be. Fitting, given Yanna’s amnesia that prevents her from realizing her true self. More and more, I see this as a Conan story, with Wonder Woman as a guest. But were it the other way around, I am uncertain how one might pull it off. It’s not as if Conan could visit Wonder Woman on Themyscira, or at the JLA Watchtower.

Lopresti and Ryan make an excellent team, either on a traditional super-hero book or on a fantasy title such as Conan. Wendy Broom’s colors help significantly, conveying setting and mood without obscuring the rendering or inking. The artwork is a perfect blend all three should be proud of.

No doubt next issue will bring additional answers and explanations. Rather than waste a lot of energy trying to figure out why from the start, it’s easy to simply trust that all will be revealed in due time, but for now, it’s fun to just sit back and enjoy the ride.