Conan, Volume 11: Road of Kings

Conan: Dark Horse Collection

by Roy Thomas, Mike Hawthorne, Various (Artist)

The journey down the legendary Road of Kings is not a trip down an ordinary road. Being a skilled fighter will only get you so far, you'll also need plenty of gold to keep you going. Luckily, Conan and his companions are skilled at separating the wealthy from their spare treasure! But they'll have to brave monsters, pursuing guards, and the sword-handed Gamesh if they're to reach their final destination.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Sword and Sorcery, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2012

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Carl Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roy Thomas is a welcome change from the weaker writing in volumes of late. Recent volumes have turned Conan into an emo hipster of a muscled barbarian, dwelling too long in his angst. "Road of Kings" is far more upbeat and adventurous, with a return to a Conan making his living by wits and steel.

Too bad the artwork doesn't match. Earlier Conan volumes were detailed, with every frame almost a mural. This volume is simple line drawings and too-bright colors. My eyes... the goggles, they do nothing.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheesh, can't believe I'm giving Conan a three star rating, but this volume just didn't do it for me. As much respect as I have for Roy Thomas's contribution to the character, he just really fell down on the job. A light sprinkling of mysoginy is to be expected in a Conan story, but ol' Roy here takes us back to the Seventies and lays it on thick, like syrup on a short stack. Pathetic women, an uninteresting and uninspired Conan, and a 'story' that starts out promising (pirating with the remnants of the Red Brotherhood) and whimpers off shirking like a whipped dog. This was not the best way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of our favorite sullen-eyed Cimmerian.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my part I liked it, though the "Conan the Pirate" stuff that led this volume off was very weak and hokey. Things really did pick up on the titular "Road of Kings", however, and I liked the relentless adversary Gamesh. The bold, clean art was a change of pace, but not necessarily a bad one.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Conan yarn from Roy Thomas, who with the exception of Robert E. Howard and possibly AH-NOLD would have to be known as "Mr. Conan the Barbarian." There's nothing groundbreaking here as it's a typical Conan story with scantily clad women and monsters, but that's not a bad thing.

[Tess van Brummelen · Rating 2 out of 5]

“De duisternis omsloot hem van alle kanten, van horizon tot horizon. Maar Conan was geboren tussen de heuvels en niet tussen de golven... een vergeten zintuig vertelde hem in welke richting het droge land hem riep.” -p.2

“Op de scheidslijn tussen de duistere hemel en de donkere zee dansten twee schepen op en neer als geliefden in een vurige omhelzing... ...Aan elkaar verbonden door strakke touwen en wrede, klauwachtige enterhaken... ...Terwijl aan boord een dodelijke dans werd gevoerd op een dek vol geronnen bloed.” -p.3

“Ons schip -- en de karkassen van onze kameraden -- zijn paleizen voor de vissen.” -p.22

““Dus je hebt de hele nacht gezwommen met die meid op je arm?”
Conan: “De dag dat ik volwassen werd, in Cimmerië, brak ik de rug van een stier. Waarom zou ik dan niet een nachtje kunnen zwemmen met één arm?” -p.23

“Conan: “Het spijt me dat ik jullie niet allemaal heb kunnen redden.”
“We waren gekken, bezeten door goudkoorts.”” -p.23

“Ik ga terug naar Shadizar de goddeloze... kijken of er nog wat te stelen valt. Waar ga jij heen, Conan?”
Conan: “Ik... weet het niet... Of misschien... Ik heb gehoord dat de ridders van Ophir een verguld harnas dragen... ...en ik wil wel eens weten hoe ik eruit zou zien in goud.” -p.23

“-- In een glimmende zee van goud en juwelen, die pijnlijk schuurden tegen zijn gebronsde huid.” -p.37

“Dieper en dieper werd hij de duisternis ingetrokken -- waar de gouden munten iedere beweging onmogelijk maakten. En toch wist de dolk van de barbaar de tentakels te vinden die hem en Krimsar gevangen hielden – en met een uiterste krachtsinspanning zich een weg te vechten uit deze verstolde gouden hel.” -p.38

“Want de sidderende golf van rijkdom die hen naderde kon maar één ding betekenen – de dood in een regen van zilver en goud!” -p.38/39

“Tentakels! Van alle kanten. Grijpend. Graaiend. Brandend.” -p.40

“Het lugubere wezen streelde de robijn... …als een man zijn lang verloren liefde...” -p.42

““Je ziet toch ook wel wat een geweldig team wij zijn!?”
Conan: “Kijk morgen uit je raam... ...dan kun je me uitzwaaien.” -p.43

“...Als de plaatselijke wijn sterk genoeg is om het plaatselijk parfum te verdringen.” -p.6, deel 2

Conan: “Ik moet hem inhalen.”
“Maar je weet niet eens hoe hij eruit ziet!”
Conan: “Hij is de man die ik bij Olivia vind... ...en niet lang daarna het lijk aan haar voeten!” -p.24

“De nauwe straten van Belverus waren nog donkerder dan Conan had verwacht, ondanks het fel verlichte middaguur. Zelfs de zon had blijkbaar geen behoefte om de slingerende stegen te doordringen.” -p.31

“Boven is het rijk van de koning. Maar hier beneden heers ik. Nog even en je zult je lemen goden smeken om je aan hun getatoeëerde borst te drukken.” -p.37

[Aildiin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of weaker Conan so far. The story is poor and the art not much better.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one named "Necrodemus" is ever going to be up to any good.

The author's note at the end say that Road of Kings and it followup collection were written as a way of getting Conan from Iron Shadows in the Moon to Queen of the Black Coast, which take place most of the continent apart. After their time as pirates comes to an end thanks to the Turanian navy, Conan wants to return Olivia to her father, the king of Ophir, and she wants to be returned, but a lot happens in between A and B. Conan works as a thief to raise money for the trip and narrowly avoids being eaten by some kind of octopoid demon guarding a merchant's treasure horde, he saves a dancer from a "sea dragon" (read: ichthyosaur) kept in a secret cave beneath the inn, and meets Prince Murilo again, last seen in Conan, Vol. 5: Rogues in the House and Other Stories. He offers to carry a message for him, gets captured, wins free, and saves the day from the machinations of the wicked Queen of Ophir and her astrologer Necrodemus.

Really. Why is it always the vizier?

I actually did appreciate Necrodemus, because he's constantly drooling over his scrolls of knowledge, and then when he actually has to face Conan and use the powers of sorcery...well, it's sorcery in a Conan story. It doesn't always go as well as you'd expect. But I was disappointed in Conan's reaction to the sorcery. I mean, in "Iron Shadows in the Moon" it says:

Foes of flesh and blood he did not fear, however great the odds, but any hint of the supernatural roused all the dim monstrous instincts of fear that are the heritage of the barbarian.

While Conan never runs, sometimes he freezes, and sometimes he goes into a murderous frenzy of slaying, but in the original stories he's never blasé in the face of eldritch horrors. Conan is a barbarian, not an action hero, but here it happens twice, with the golden wyrm and Atlach-Nacha. I would have liked something a bit more true to the character.

The art is also much more like a traditional comic. The earlier issues of Conan didn't have outlines on the characters, which took a bit to get used to but led to kind of a...well, a barbaric look to the art. Conan here looks more like a superhero, which I guess fits with him facing down horrors without blinking and running around in a loincloth no matter what the circumstances.

Despite that, I liked Road of Kings. It has a happy ending, it has scrounging, thieving, eldritch sorcery, and Conan gaining and then losing a fortune. If only it felt more like the original Conan rather than the pastiche version.

Previous Review: Conan, Vol. 10: Iron Shadows in the Moon and Other Stories.
Next Review: Conan, Volume 12: Throne of Aquilonia.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long hard road for Conan. But, What else were you expecting? LOL. Roy Thomas gives us a swashbuckling adventure featuring pirates. monsters, magic & mayhem. The story hear is pretty straightforward Conan begins his journey at sea with a malicious crew of pirates. Unknown to the crew Conan has brought a woman onboard, whom you might expect is actually an exile princess. At first Conan is reluctant to become a sea captain and also reluctant to return the lost princess home but as fate would have it Conan losses his new found ship and promises to return the princess to her homeland. This task will not be easy as the barbarian gets swept up into thievery and is pursue by marauders just to get the prize princess to her father and just maybe get wealth in the process. Not a bad story. I have never been a fan of Conan the Pirate as I feel the character is better in his element when traveling to exotic lands and getting caught up in the wars or political problems of the countries he happens to find himself in. The artwork was consistent but not that appealing but it aids the story well enough. Roy Thomas definitely gets the voice of Conan and the ancient world he inhabits. Most of the story was predictable but Mr. Thomas throws you a few curveballs. The monsters weren't anything special but I really loved the way Roy brought back the giant gold worm in the end. I never got bore with the book and that is really all you are looking for in a Conan tale. You want to see the Cimmerian slash, bash, and dash his way through an exciting adventure. There wasn't any setup for a future adversary or a major arc just a straight forward Conan yarn. It is definitely worth a read through.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable sword and sorcery tale from Roy Thomas, nothing that will change your life but a good tale none the less. The big issue is the change in art from previous volumes. Much has been said about this in other reviews but the decision to go with a simpler and cleaner art is a bit jarring. However, if I'm being honest, after about half of this volume I got used to it and it's actually quite nice. Still, I do miss the grittier art tone of the earlier volumes but overall enjoyed this book.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unpopular opinion, but Roy Thomas's treatment of Conan feels miles away from Howard's original style, direction and intent. Thomas might feel at home with folks who enjoy Lin Carter adaptations, but honestly, his work here feels watered down, off-target, indulgent, and clumsy. Thomas might have saved Marvel with his legendary runs on Conan decades ago, but compared to Busiek's earlier run in this series, which feels so much truer to source, it falls woefully short.

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's nice seeing Roy Thomas back for an adaption, but unfortunately, it's impossible to recreate the old magic without the likes of John Buscema, Ernie Chan, Val Mayerik, or Tony Dezuniga on the artwork.

[Brannigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the previous volume but this just didn���t feel like Conan.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conan, Volume 11: Road of Kings sets Conan upon the Road of Kings and sees him taking his lady Olivia back to her father the King who is being manipulated by the evil Queen and this leads Conan into high jinks but at the same time being pursued by Gamish the man with a sword arm which leads to Conan having to his brains to outwit his opponent which again serves to illustrate who is the real Barbarian! :D

Conan, Volume 11: Road of Kings is action packed and shows us Conan changing from a thief into someone who is leader and potential King but throughout is full of humour, break neck pace, adventure and action packed! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. While not as deep and detailed as some of the earlier stories in this series by Kurt Busiek, and not as visually arresting as the wonderful work by Cary Nord, this offering is a definite step up from the slightly lacking (for one reason or another) previous couple of volumes.

With good pacing, a decent story and at least passable artwork I have high hopes that the next volumes will just get better. For a full five stars I would have liked to have seen a little more depth to the story - either in characterisation, exploration or a more involved plot - and better artwork. While not dreadful, so far it has been very difficult for anything to live up to the art in the first five volumes. It is good to see Conan's steady and plausable growth of character and personality, and this 'road' book is a solid instalment for that.

This should be enjoyed by anyone who has read the series up to this point - not that you would really need anyone to encourage you to add this to your collection if you have the other ten.

If you are just tuning in now? Why are you starting on volume #11? Go back to #1, or even #0 and start the story at the beginning!

[Clark Hallman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan: Road of Kings by Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Hawthorne, John Lucas, Dave Stewart, Dan Jackson, and others. This is volume 11 of the Dark Horse Books Conan graphic novel series. It collects volumes one through six of Dark Horse Comics monthly Conan: Road of Kings series. This series features the writing of the legendary Roy Thomas who helped bring Conan to comics. It also features the masterful art work of Mike Hawthorne, John Lucas, Dave Stewart, Jason Gorder, Dan Jackson and others. The art work is maybe a bit edgier then that of most of the previous volumes in this Dark Horse graphic novel series. However, it is fantastic and stunningly illustrates the barbaric characters and savage environments of the story. Although to me the story seemed to portray a slightly more thoughtful and caring Conan than he was portrayed in previous volumes of this series, it was extremely well written, compelling, and very enjoyable. Conan is returning the beautiful Olivia to her wealthy father and expecting a generous reward for the deed. However, the barbarian is still thieving and killing two legged, tentacled and otherwise endowed monsters and villains throughout this very enjoyable journey on the Road of Kings.

[Matthew Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roy Thomas was instrumental in the success of Conan in comic books — and by extension in movies — so it’s only appropriate that Dark Horse returned to Thomas for "Road of Kings."

The story follows Conan on his journey west along the Road of Kings.

Artist Mike Hawthorne (Fear Agent) draws the series, which begins with Conan as a pirate on the Vilayet Sea. Conan attempts to deliver the princess Olivia back to her homeland, fighting intrigue and malevolence along the way.

Hawthorne’s art may come off a little cartoony than what fans of Cary Nord and Tomas Giorello are used to on “Conan,” but Hawthorne’s storytelling is top-notch. The Eisner-nominated Hawthorne works well with Thomas, as the information and expressions are conveyed with aplomb. And Thomas certainly knows this character. The voice and tone are perfect. Thomas may have shaded his style slightly to fit into the Kurt Busiek and Tim Truman runs from Dark Horse — if so, he did so seamlessly. The package is topped off by classic, “Savage Sword of Conan”-style covers by Doug Wheatley.

Overall, a very enjoyable “Conan” arc by a longtime comics master and a talented artist.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see from my profile, that I claim to have read this book back in February.

I must have lied; none of the stories had any ring of familiarity.

But I shall update my three-star rating to 3.5 stars-- I liked it, a little more than average but a little less than "really liked it". It closed the gap in Conan's travels, and it was a set of decent stories with art work and colors that I enjoyed. But, end of the read, I only liked it. The stories seemed a return to the linear and formulaic stories of The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1. Hero comes to new crisis spot, hero battles human forces to standstill, supernatural forces are awakened or invoked, hero still wins. Which is okay, to a point, but there are other battles of significance to be won, and other growth in Conan's life than repeated supernatural encounters. I did like the issue-spanning battle against the assassin and the resolution, and the more complex plots woven into the return of the princess to her kingdom.

[Scott Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels somewhat like a filler volume grabbing at old tricks that we've seen before. And I miss Cary Nord so, so much. The art is okay...but its just this side of actively bad. This is not a volume that would keep me going if I were joining the book at this point. Given how excellent many previous collections of this series have been I'm not ready to quit, but this volume certainly isn't any reason to proceed.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and enjoyable adventure with the greatest barbarian of them all. Roy Thomas' has always been linked with the comic version of Conan and his writing continues to shine. In many ways it feels better now than in the past with more show less tell an issue that many comics suffered from in the past.
The art is good and works well with the story with a good range of character design.
Enjoyable.

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been following this series for some time in hardcover. I feel the series quality (writing and art) has dropped off some. When the series started it was top notch. But...this book is still good quality and continues the series plan of providing stories chronologically AND as based as much as possible on original Robert E. Howard stories.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good not great stuff from Roy Thomas, the writer most associated with bringing Conan to comics. Story is solid fantasy fare as usual from him, but the art does him no favors. The less seen of Mike Hawthorne the better. Kudos to Dark Horse for bringing Thomas back for a 12-issue arc celebrating 40 years of Conan in comics.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new Conan comic series does good justice to the Robert E. Howard stories. While the art does come and go in quality at time, overall it is a good. The adaptations of the original stories is well done. The fill in stories are also well done and follow the flow of the Character's life as written by Howard. Recommended to comic fans and Very recommended to Howard and Conan fans.

[Chris Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent story, this one attempting to connect a few of Robert E. Howard's stories together, showing some of the character development of Conan. I wish Tomás Giorello was still doing the artwork. He was missed in this series.