The cover artist is Dave Dorman (Star Wars, King Kong), with variable covers including artist Nick Marinkovich (Dead Romans). The lead Conan story is “Conan: Leaving the Garden”, which is written by Canadian native Jim Zub. He has been the primary author of Titan's other Conan title, Conan the Barbarian. My previous experience with his writing was the Wolverine miniseries, Mystery in Madripoor. The story features artwork by Richard Pace (New Warriors, Pitt).
“Conan: Leaving the Garden” is weird. The opening pages have the titular hero rising from a grave. Then we get a story that tells of how Conan was seemingly buried alive. It begins with him leading a wagon train across Shem into the trading ports of Argos. In the barren stretches of the journey, Conan and the travelers are attacked by “a misshapen terrifying throng of humanoids”. I don't know what these things are, but they attack and slaughter most of the caravan. They drag Conan off to a garden, wrap him in a burial cloth, and bury him.
After Conan awakens and climbs his way to freedom, he stumbles upon a little makeshift shed. He is then found by a small boy who explains travelers are killed and buried in the garden. The bodies then transcend into ghosts that rise into a swirling mist. The whole thing is some sort of worship ritual for a monster that lives in a village barn. As Conan heals, he begins plans to go to the village and destroy the monster.
This story suffers from a number of issues, mainly in that it just isn't that interesting. Conan, recalling his greatest adventures to the boy, was touching, and it has a greater impact when we learn the fate of the kid. But the art is horrendous in some scenes. It reminds me of a below-average comic strip. Conan, swaddled in a fur blanket was a scene I wish I could have erased from my consciousness. I get that it is trying to evoke the spirit of Weird Tales, but it did nothing for me.
Next up was the real reason I even wanted to pursue this issue, the continuation of Patrick Zircher's Solomon Kane story from the first issue, “Master of the Hunt”.
In the beginning, Kane is in a Welsh village tracking a werewolf that's preying on farmers. He is staying with a woman and her son, as her husband is on a “great hunt”. As this second part continues the story, Kane is attacked by the werewolf and his elderly partner is killed. In the man's dying words, he urges Kane to take a pagan horn to use for protection. This is a key part of the story as it places the Puritan hero at a spiritual crossroads.
Page 58's artwork is the highlight of the issue. Zircher's full page displays Arawn, the Lord of the Underworld, complete on horseback, wearing antler horns and leading a pack of Devilish dogs. It's the proverbial “master of the hunt”, yet whether any of this actually exists or not is in the eye of the beholder. The scene reminded me of Howard's Kane poem, "Death's Black Riders". Perhaps Kane is simply speculating that if he blows the horn, he will embroil himself in Deviltry. The story sort of ends there in this wild cliffhanger.
I love the Solomon Kane story, and I feel that Zircher really gets this character. His faith, devotion, and prevalent need to serve the people is captured exceptionally well. Zircher's stellar artwork is the chef's kiss.
As always, the magazine features several pinups – two Conan pages by Rafael Kayanan and Gerardo Zaffino and a Solomon Kane page by Nick Marinkovich.
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