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The Chronicles of Conan
The Chronicles of Conan, Volume 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories
A new era begins for Conan the Barbarian, as he sets out, once more alone, into the savage heart of Hyboria - his wit, his strength, and his blade, his only allies against a flood of foes both human and super-human Presenting more of the celebrated Roy Thomas/John Buscema Conan the Barbarian run, as well as a special guest artist appearance by Sal Buscema All featuring completely re-mastered color; all proving once again why Conan is the greatest and most savage Epic Fantasy character of all time.
168 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2007
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43 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,478 books270 followersRoy 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 7, 2020
After the major events happening in Volume 12, this volume opens with the previously skipped "The Thing in the Crypt" story featuring a young Conan being chased by wolves in the frozen north only to come upon a cave and its royal skeletal occupant. I always liked this one-and-done issue drawn by John Buscema's brother Sal.
The second story features Conan post-Belit in which he becomes chief of the Bamulas due to a battle with the rival chief over a pit wherein resides an enormous hairy spider. Following that is a 2 parter with a tribe of vampires led by an imposingly tall, strong, and nasty former warrior named K'chama who really gives our hero a run for his money and life. Thomas is able to put an interesting twist on the end of this tale which was satisfying to me as opposed to just having Conan kill his opponent outright.
Next is the "Vale of Lost Women" based on the REH yarn that critics and fans call his worst effort. it isn't a terrible story, but it is rather cookie cutter and short on substance when you insert blonde damsel in distress, with horrid scary monster and Conan saving the day. Not too much in the terms of intrigue, politics, or much else.
"Whispering Shadows" comes next based on the DeCamp/Carter story "Castle of Terror" which much like the previous story is also a bit cookie cutter-like with Conan being harried by a pack of lions and lionesses, finding refuge in a foreboding castle, witnessing the slaughter of a small army of Stygian slavers, and getting out of the castle with his life.
Closing the volume is a two-part story based on an incomplete REH story "The Snout in the Dark" that was completed by DeCamp & Carter. I think had this been longer than 2 parts and had the characters a bit more developed it could have made for a better 3 or even 4 part story. As it is there isn't too much investment as a reader into these characters enough to care besides Conan and the Nemedian slave girl Diana. This is not to say the side characters and antagonists aren't interesting. The vicious Queen Tanada, the conniving Tuthmes, and the tall foreboding wizard Muru to name a few. To me, they weren't given enough room to spread out the scheming and vileness that prior enemies have had and been given, but I am thinking Thomas needed to wrap it all up in a two parter or the original story ( which I haven't read now in years ) was just that brief. The creature featured in it is a solid nightmare enough as a man-like hairy beast with a boar's head that gives Conan a really good fight.
A decent enough volume by Roy, John, Ernie and Sal and the others.
The second story features Conan post-Belit in which he becomes chief of the Bamulas due to a battle with the rival chief over a pit wherein resides an enormous hairy spider. Following that is a 2 parter with a tribe of vampires led by an imposingly tall, strong, and nasty former warrior named K'chama who really gives our hero a run for his money and life. Thomas is able to put an interesting twist on the end of this tale which was satisfying to me as opposed to just having Conan kill his opponent outright.
Next is the "Vale of Lost Women" based on the REH yarn that critics and fans call his worst effort. it isn't a terrible story, but it is rather cookie cutter and short on substance when you insert blonde damsel in distress, with horrid scary monster and Conan saving the day. Not too much in the terms of intrigue, politics, or much else.
"Whispering Shadows" comes next based on the DeCamp/Carter story "Castle of Terror" which much like the previous story is also a bit cookie cutter-like with Conan being harried by a pack of lions and lionesses, finding refuge in a foreboding castle, witnessing the slaughter of a small army of Stygian slavers, and getting out of the castle with his life.
Closing the volume is a two-part story based on an incomplete REH story "The Snout in the Dark" that was completed by DeCamp & Carter. I think had this been longer than 2 parts and had the characters a bit more developed it could have made for a better 3 or even 4 part story. As it is there isn't too much investment as a reader into these characters enough to care besides Conan and the Nemedian slave girl Diana. This is not to say the side characters and antagonists aren't interesting. The vicious Queen Tanada, the conniving Tuthmes, and the tall foreboding wizard Muru to name a few. To me, they weren't given enough room to spread out the scheming and vileness that prior enemies have had and been given, but I am thinking Thomas needed to wrap it all up in a two parter or the original story ( which I haven't read now in years ) was just that brief. The creature featured in it is a solid nightmare enough as a man-like hairy beast with a boar's head that gives Conan a really good fight.
A decent enough volume by Roy, John, Ernie and Sal and the others.
April 20, 2019
4.5 Stars
This volume picks up right after the death of Belit. Conan does think of her a few times but he's mostly trying to put things behind him. These adventures are still in set in "Africa", and I really enjoy the Conan stories in this setting. We got to see the story that inspired Conan being chased by wolves and finding the sword in the original Conan the Barbarian movie. We also had giant spiders, vampires, and more. The final two parter dragged a little, but overall this was another excellent volume. As I've said in previous reviews, I'm gaining a new appreciation for John Buscema's work as his Conan material has been great. Sal Buscema does an issue here as well, but Ernie Chan's inking makes it resemble his brother's work to the point you have to really look to see a difference. I'm assuming at some point the quality of this series drops, but we haven't hit that point yet.
This volume picks up right after the death of Belit. Conan does think of her a few times but he's mostly trying to put things behind him. These adventures are still in set in "Africa", and I really enjoy the Conan stories in this setting. We got to see the story that inspired Conan being chased by wolves and finding the sword in the original Conan the Barbarian movie. We also had giant spiders, vampires, and more. The final two parter dragged a little, but overall this was another excellent volume. As I've said in previous reviews, I'm gaining a new appreciation for John Buscema's work as his Conan material has been great. Sal Buscema does an issue here as well, but Ernie Chan's inking makes it resemble his brother's work to the point you have to really look to see a difference. I'm assuming at some point the quality of this series drops, but we haven't hit that point yet.
March 17, 2024
Bu seriyi yıllar sonra renklendirilmiş olarak okumayı bir ayrıcalık olarak kabul ediyorum. Conan bu sayıda Belit'ten sonraki hayatına devam ederken, Conan serilerinde ilk defa bir vampire denk geliyoruz. Ondan kurtulmanın ne kadar zor olduğunu okumak bile yeterince germişti. Kılıcını kiralamaktan geri durmayan Conan oradan oraya savrulurken Kush'daki kaosun içine düşer. Bazen kılıca başvurmadan arkana bakmadan gitmek en akıllıca yandır.
July 4, 2020
Every birthday/Father's Day/Christmas, my wife and kids give me a couple of these. I love them, and love the tradition of reading through them in the weeks after each special day.
Silly, maybe. Reliving the joy of being a young kid with a pile of comic books.
This collection was a good one.
Silly, maybe. Reliving the joy of being a young kid with a pile of comic books.
This collection was a good one.
March 14, 2017
Great to reread these 35 years later, with nicer printing and color. If you don't already like the genre this won't make you a fan. But if you love this team of creators, here is a big dose.
June 7, 2019
Brilliant Sword Swinging Action! :D Review to come! :D
March 4, 2013
Zurück in der Erfolgsspur
Die Storyline um Conans Liebe Bêlit ist vorbei, und neben dem Einschnitt in Conans Leben erfolgt hier auch ein Einschnitt im Pacing des Comics. War der Bêlit-Arc eine recht langatmige und zum Schluss sehr bemühte Endlosgeschichte, kommen wir hier wieder zu dem Conan, der vor dem Bêlit-Arc so beliebt war: Kürzere Geschichten, auf maximal 2-3 Ausgaben gestreckt. Roy Thomas, der für das Scripting noch verantwortlich ist, erwacht aus dem Dornröschenschlaf und zaubert an Spannung und Atmosphäre kaum zu toppende Plots aus dem Hut, und John Buscema scheint auch mit dem Abgang von Bêlit in einen Jungbrunnen gefallen zu sein - seine Zeichnungen sind von brillianter Qualität und erwecken wirklich wieder die Stimmung, die er zu Beginn seiner Zusammenarbeit mit Thomas erweckt hatte. Alle Ausgaben in diesem Band lesen sich zügiger, spannender und konziser als die letzten paar Bände, und sind herausragend gut gezeichnet. Da sich das Duo Thomas/Buscema nun wieder in der Erfolgsspur befindet, kann ich diesen Band der Chronicles of Conan nur in höchsten Tönen loben und jedem Comic- und Fantasy-Fan ans Herz legen.
Leider ist Dark Horse zumindest in meiner Auflage des Bandes ein böser Fehler unterlaufen - in der Geschichte "Valley of Lost Women" wurde eine Seite ausgelassen, dazu eine, ohne die ein deutlicher Plotsprung erzeugt wird. Auf der DarkHorse-Internetseite gibt es aber ein Forum, in dem freundliche Benutzer die Seite aus dem Originalcomic eingescannt haben und zum Download zur Verfügung stellen.
Das hat den netten Nebeneffekt, dass man sehen kann, wie gut die Neukolorierung geworden ist - im Originalcomic ist Conan als "Pink Panther" unterwegs, und wer dies ernsthaft der Neukolorierung vorzieht, ist wohl wirklich ein beinhart Gestriger.
Die Storyline um Conans Liebe Bêlit ist vorbei, und neben dem Einschnitt in Conans Leben erfolgt hier auch ein Einschnitt im Pacing des Comics. War der Bêlit-Arc eine recht langatmige und zum Schluss sehr bemühte Endlosgeschichte, kommen wir hier wieder zu dem Conan, der vor dem Bêlit-Arc so beliebt war: Kürzere Geschichten, auf maximal 2-3 Ausgaben gestreckt. Roy Thomas, der für das Scripting noch verantwortlich ist, erwacht aus dem Dornröschenschlaf und zaubert an Spannung und Atmosphäre kaum zu toppende Plots aus dem Hut, und John Buscema scheint auch mit dem Abgang von Bêlit in einen Jungbrunnen gefallen zu sein - seine Zeichnungen sind von brillianter Qualität und erwecken wirklich wieder die Stimmung, die er zu Beginn seiner Zusammenarbeit mit Thomas erweckt hatte. Alle Ausgaben in diesem Band lesen sich zügiger, spannender und konziser als die letzten paar Bände, und sind herausragend gut gezeichnet. Da sich das Duo Thomas/Buscema nun wieder in der Erfolgsspur befindet, kann ich diesen Band der Chronicles of Conan nur in höchsten Tönen loben und jedem Comic- und Fantasy-Fan ans Herz legen.
Leider ist Dark Horse zumindest in meiner Auflage des Bandes ein böser Fehler unterlaufen - in der Geschichte "Valley of Lost Women" wurde eine Seite ausgelassen, dazu eine, ohne die ein deutlicher Plotsprung erzeugt wird. Auf der DarkHorse-Internetseite gibt es aber ein Forum, in dem freundliche Benutzer die Seite aus dem Originalcomic eingescannt haben und zum Download zur Verfügung stellen.
Das hat den netten Nebeneffekt, dass man sehen kann, wie gut die Neukolorierung geworden ist - im Originalcomic ist Conan als "Pink Panther" unterwegs, und wer dies ernsthaft der Neukolorierung vorzieht, ist wohl wirklich ein beinhart Gestriger.
February 19, 2024
Contains issues 92, 101-107
These are the issues after Belit's death, including an adapation of the de Camp story Snout in the Dark. Missing the direction that the series had during the Belit run.
These are the issues after Belit's death, including an adapation of the de Camp story Snout in the Dark. Missing the direction that the series had during the Belit run.
April 21, 2014
Pretty damn soon Conan left the memory of Belit behind. Oh well. He is a man after all.
But nice collection of Conan mayhem.
But nice collection of Conan mayhem.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews