Conan, Vol. 4: The Halls of the Dead and Other Stories

Conan: Dark Horse Collection

by Kurt Busiek, Mike Mignola, Timothy Truman

The Halls of the Dead concludes writer Kurt Busiek's (JLA/Avengers, Astro City) critically acclaimed run, paving the way for new writer Tim Truman (Conan and the Songs of the Dead) and featuring a story by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola! Eisner award-nominated artist Cary Nord (Daredevil), and Eisner award-winning color artist Dave Stewart (Ultimate Fantastic Four, The New Frontier) continue their groundbreaking run on Dark Horse's best-selling Conan series with three of the best writers in comics today.

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

200 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2007

About the author

Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.

Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.

During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).

Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.

In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.

In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.

In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.

Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.

Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,

Reviews

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another epic collection.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to deliver. Mike Mignola and Tim Truman take over writing duties, and it was a nice change of pace. The series doesn't seem to be quite as interesting as it was in the beginning, but it's still very good.

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story was less intriguing, but still a fun read!

[Steven Harbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Barry Smith illustrated Marvel comic version of this story way back in 1970 while on vacation in Hawaii. That version remains one of my all time favorite comics and artistic rendetions of the young Conan, so I approached this newer version with some trepidation. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I thought both the story (it's based on a short fragment of Howard's, not a full blown story, so there's plenty of room on the part of the creators to take in where they will) and the art were well done. The drawings of the Gunderman who is first Conan's adversary and then later his friend were pretty much as I thought they should be, and the drawings of Conan's deceitful girlfriend was pretty spot on as well I thought. Several authors contributed to the plot and dialog (Mike Mignola did chapters 3 and 4 for instance) and while that sometimes doesn't work I thought it worked very well in this instance. I read this in one sitting at the local bookstore cafe where my wife works and may even go back and buy it, so I guess I was pretty impressed.
As an added bonus, noted Howard scholar Mark Finn wrote the afterword where he mentions the epistolary relationship between Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft and how that relationship impacted both men's writing. Very well done, and probably alone worth the price of the book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWE-SOME! YEAH! Whoooo! Okay, sorry, Conan brings it out of me. Sheesh, I'm a little sad to see Kurt take a bow in this ongoing Dark Horse series, but I know, after reading through this transition book that the continuation will be in capable hands. DH knows what they're doing, as it seems customary with them; for many years Star Wars was in relatively good shape, and although I'm not the most avid reader of their fare (maybe Buffy some day), they seem to draw their inspiration from the right place. They respect the source, and they can push boundaries that main stream comics just can't get away with. Artistically, in every respect, this iteration of Conan is simply Metal. A good friend of mine is reading the original REH Conan stories which much of this series is directly tied to (on multiple levels); and what's particularly cool about 'The Hall of the Dead' is that it is one of those stories that went unfinished by REH and actually had many writers throughout the decades since his death create their own vision - so it's interesting to see where these guys take it. Hats off to this creative team. Okay, so now on to the other 16 or so volumes. Ahh, that's a good feeling!

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mignola Conan story is just too good of an idea, how has there not been a full run? This story would’ve been even better with Mignola art, Conan himself would have looked different (I can’t really picture a Mignola Conan in a page to page story) but the world of thieves, dimly lit pubs, mystical castles and tight caves is just prime Mignola stuff.

Conan sleeps with the wife of a king, the king is pissed and sends another thief after Conan- they find they like each other more than the king and tag team a mystical Mayan style palace with an evil frog monster at the helm. Conan gets out with some wild jewels and a jade dragon but as he reveals his success to some drunks at the bar, his riches turn to dust. Oh Conan!

[Omni Theus · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
The weakest of the Kurt Busiek / Carey Nord collection. Feeling more aimless and collecting stories not as exciting or memorable as the previous few volumes. But of course, this is still Conan, and the characters, the world and the quality of the art shines through enough to still make this lesser collection well worth your attention. 3.75/5


OmniBen.

[Steve Dilks · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long while to warm to Dark Horse's interpretation of Conan. The early issues got off to a rocky start. However, things did pick up and there are certain things that they did get 'right.' At its best, Cary Nord's painted art evokes the atmosphere of Frazetta. The writing tries sticking close to Howard's ideal even if, at times, it seems to be trying too hard. Credit where it's due, though, at least they were trying.
The opening of this collection starts off well. Kurt Busiek may not have been my top choice of writer, but he sets things in motion before bowing out and handing over the reins to Mike Mignola. Mignola then adapts Howard's 'The Hall of the Dead' fragment with his usual penchant for Lovecraftian weirdness. You know, the sort that he usually utilizes for HELLBOY. And it works. For me to say that, you must first understand where I'm coming from. I'm one of those that thinks L. Sprague de Camp's completion of this tale in the Lancer book, CONAN (1967) is an admirable effort and an enjoyable story to boot. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Normally, yes, but this graphic version is also highly entertaining. Cary's art is at its best here and, under Mignola's guidance, he pulls out all the stops. There's a genuine feeling of creeping horror. The two remaining chapters are written by Tim Truman. There are some excellent moments in these parts and it's apparent that Tim understands Conan without having to pay too much lip service to the fans. Again, Cary's art shines through with little of that awkward rushed look that marred so much of his early work.
So much went wrong with CONAN at Dark Horse but this was a period when it all seemed to click into place.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hall of the Dead is the first place in the Dark Horse Conan reboot where they have moved significantly from established and published stories to interpreting and expanding story fragments. In THE HALL OF THE DEAD, they do a fantastic job of expanding the fragment while pulling from other portions of Howard's oeuvre. The batrachian god Gol-Goroth makes an appearance, which featured prominently in the mythos tale THE BLACK STONE. And the idols worn by the priests in THE BLACK STONE and THE THING ON THE ROOF are depicted here as well. The story that starts with DOGS OF THE HILLS borrows from Howard's views on the picts and the degeneration of men as shown in THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT and especially in PEOPLE OF THE DARK.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would have thought that Temple of the Frog was a Conan story!

The Halls of the Dead is the first Conan comic in this run that's not based on an existing Howard story, though it is based on an outline he wrote that was never expanded upon. An ancient city full of treasure, some kind of sleeping god attacks Conan, Conan drops a bunch of ancient masonry on the god and escapes the city. Mignola fills this in, making the god a giant three-eyed toad with an army of the restless dead, guarding a cursed treasure with an army of frogs.

I mentioned in my review of The God in the Bowl and Other Stories that the original stories in these books have often been much over overtly fantastical than the Howard-based ones, but The Halls of the Dead breaks that trend. Conan fighting the frog god is by far the most overtly supernatural element of the book. The rest of the book is about Conan robbing the counting-house of a rich magistrate in Zamora and his constant bragging about his exploits getting him into trouble with the other denizens of the Maul, and then after the frog god battle he flees through the hills with hunters from the magistrate on his feels, eventually meeting a degenerate bandit clan before escaping them and meeting up again with Nestor the Gunderman, who Conan's trickery had gotten captured but who was willing to flee Zamora with him. Much more down-to-earth than kaiju made of swarms of flies.

I actually liked Nestor a lot. These comics have very few recurring characters other than Conan, which does fit the original stories, but since they're already trying to create a complete chronology and fill in the gaps that Howard left in Conan's life, other recurring characters wouldn't hurt. I just hope that the next book doesn't start with Conan alone again, having been robbed of all his valuables or suddenly and inevitably betrayed.

Previous Review: Conan, Vol. 3: The Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories.
Next Review: Conan, Vol. 5: Rogues in the House and Other Stories.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning in the taverns of the city of thieves and traveling through a city of the dead (And killer toads) before ending in canyons of murderous thieves this book does a good job of covering the world of Conan. It's a brutal tale with fists and swords used aplenty as Conan moves among corrupt priests, city guards and the powerful elite and it all works. The stories deal with him as a thief so they center on Conan breaking into somewhere to steal something and encountering a danger that of some kind. He beats them all, of course, with the barbaric savagery that is his trademark. These are action-packed stories but they tend to bleed into one another. Here is Conan robbing a magistrates house - here he is robbing a city of the dead - and the stories do lose some of the pathos of the earlier books. But this is a young Conan full of confidence and a false sense of mortality so it is all in context. Also, there is a strong supporting cast to help him along. A vengeful northerner, a street waif and a wench with dubious motives. All good stuff. The artwork is excellent as always and the sense of foreboding as he enters the dead city is as good as anything in comics. The city of Zamora also comes to live full of decadence and danger everywhere you turn.

In the end, this is a great book lacking a great story and that might be because it was based on an outline by Robert Howard. But that was not something I really noticed. It was more the repetition that left me feeling kinda Meh about the whole thing.

[Balazs Badics · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as I know, this story was not finished by R. E. Howard, just started, and L. Sprague de Camp finished and published it much later, in the 1970s. In this rather short sword-and-sorcery tale set in the world of Conan the Barbarian, Conan finds himself pursued by a determined mercenary named Nestor. Their chase leads them into the ruins of a long-lost city rumoured to hold ancient treasures. As the two rivals confront supernatural dangers and eerie remnants of a forgotten civilization, they form an uneasy alliance to uncover the secrets hidden within a mysterious palace. The story blends action, dark fantasy, and a touch of horror, culminating in a twist that questions the value of what they risked their lives to obtain.
The Hall of the Dead offers a classic Conan adventure with atmospheric ruins and undead guardians, but its impact is dulled by its fragmented origins. The story, completed posthumously by L. Sprague de Camp, lacks the raw intensity and narrative cohesion typical of Howard’s best work. While the setting is evocative and the action sequences are entertaining, the pacing feels uneven and the characters underdeveloped. The supernatural elements, though intriguing, come across as formulaic rather than genuinely chilling. Overall, it's a passable entry in the Conan canon, but not one of its standout moments.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as strong as the previous volumes of the Dark Horse run of Conan, but solidly entertaining nonetheless. Busiek isn't the only writer on this volume; Mignola and Truman both take up writing duties on a few issues. The highlight story is the Mignola one where Gunderman chases Conan on behalf of the magistrate who was robbed by Conan (and adding insult to injury, Conan also slept with his wife). Gunderman's dynamic with Conan is electric, and really carries the story. The setting for Mignola's issues also feel right up his alley since they do feel a bit like Robert E. Howard was dipping more heavily into Lovecraft with this story.

The Tim Truman issues were solid as well, and center on the aftermath of Conan's adventures in the City of Thieves. While Truman and Mignola hold their own, it's clear their approach is much more straightforward than Busiek's creative, nonlinear style. While I liked these issues, it's clear how much Busiek's voice is necessary to make this run as good as it is.

I've always liked Cary Nord's artwork, but I found this volume to be an even sharper step up. The way Nord drew faces always bugged me a little, but the artwork looked way more refined here.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

We see some of the best of classic Conan in this volume. He steals from the mighty while thumbing his nose at their authority. He braves ancient ruins haunted by hideous monsters. He takes on a small army, bands of thieves, hordes of the undead, foul sorceries, and has a laugh while doing it. We also see more development of the story of Nestor the Gunderman. He's probably the closest thing Conan has to a real friend in the whole series.

Collects Dark Horse's "Conan" series issues #24 "The Magistrate's Wife", #25 "The Hand of the Mighty", #29 "The Toad", #30 "The Serpent", #31 "The Hall of the Dead", #33 "Dogs of the Hills", and #34 "The Sons of Bel"

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord team up for an exceptionally good take on Conan, retelling his tales in chronological order, based on hints dropped by Robert E. Howard and his correspondents, and filling in the gaps between with new tales that feel very much at home in type and tone. Busiek's writing is pitch-perfect, and Nord's artwork, helped in no small fashion by color artist Dave Stewart, is transcendent. Here, Busiek's run pretty much comes to an end. A fill-in story by Mike Mignola is great fun, and Timothy Truman's early work here is nicely done.

[Richard Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent stuff, here, loving re-reading my Conan collection. Love how Dark Horse are starting to turn a couple of sentences from Robert E Howard into whole issues of the comics. Also love how they tie everything together. Makes it feel like more of a continuing narrative which is where Conan can seem a bit scattered (this week he's a child, next week he's a king, etc"

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 4 finds the young Conan still making a living as a thief in Zamora. Betrayed by a justifiably jealous girlfriend, he flees into the desert where he encounters a deserted city; "The Halls Of The Dead".
Great fun, but I think I'll have to take a big gap in this series as the library doesn't own many after this volume and I'm not invested in it enough to actually buy them.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could always use more Mignola in these. Shame he didn't draw too.

[Mark Kosobucki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Great art in this book.

[NerdyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesome volume

[Chris Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Graphic Novel depiction of the Conan series. Every issue is done with great care and beautiful artistry.

[Hanussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Další se stále drží na vysoké úrovni. Scénáristicky byl ovšem slabší titulní příběh, zpracovaný Mignolou. Líbilo se mi mignolovské zpracování panelů, ale vlastní narativ byl takový průměr.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great one
awesome series

[Chip Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fourth volume of the top-notch new Conan series keeps up the intensity and true-to-Howard feel that has helped make these stories so much loved by old die-hard Conan followers and new fans alike. It also continues the absolutely beautiful artwork that makes this series stand out as unique in Conan comics, and has attracted so many to these pages. The stories related in THE HALL OF THE DEAD pick up right where THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT left off, with Conan in the City of Thieves living off the land (or off of other peoples coffers). His treasure seeking leads him into trouble when he not only robs, but seduces the wife of, a powerful city magistrate, who ends up hiring another thief (and a great new character), Nestor the Gunderman, to capture/kill Conan. These two end up in an abandoned city, where the principle story adapted from a REH outline takes place. After robbing this place, and somehow escaping a powerful evil there, Conan finds that Zamora has become a bit to hot for comfort and heads off for new adventure with the beautiful (but spiteful) Jiara. All of the stories related here are full of excitement and all kinds of awesomeness that is sure to please fans of Conan, and the direction of the story promises more greatness in future volumes.

I was initially somewhat concerned about loosing Kurt Busiek, but was pleasantly surprised by the writing of newcomer Tim Truman. The two chapters here written by Truman are excellent in my opinion, and I think the future of the saga remains in more-than-capable hands. Personally, I very much look forward to continuing the series!

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this series put out by Dark Horse. However, this particular volume marks a transition as the series changes authors and artists. There is some work from the initial authors of the series, and then work from new writers, including Mike Mignola, of Hellboy fame. Conan is still a young thief, and he is quite brash, often reckless; he is that youthful stage where you think you are invincible and nothing can touch you. When he beds the wife of a local magistrate, the hunt for him is on. Also, since he has been basically showing off to the other thieves in the local area, they resent him and are trying to bring him down a peg or two. Add to this his adventure in the Hall of the Dead, where he goes in search of some mythical treasure, and you have quite a good set of tales.

The nice thing about this series is that it brings to life the stories of Robert E. Howard as well as adds new tales to the legend. The art continues to be very good, and it is very suited to this type of fantasy tale. We'll have to see if the authors can keep the quality down the road, but so far, it is an entertaining series.

If you are getting ready to watch the new Conan movie in theaters, this series may be a good place to look and get a feel for the real character. The other option is to read Howard's books. But if you want a visual tale, this series is very good.

[Heath Lowrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is pretty much all original material by the authors, the central story "The Hall of the Dead" being based on a brief synopsis written by REH. It's fleshed out in the middle three parts by Mike Mignola (you know it's Mignola, because there are FROGS), and makes a nicely creepy tale, sandwiched as it is between outgoing writer Kurt Busiek's last two chapters and incoming writer Tim Truman's two-part debut. Cary Nord's artwork is even better than usual here, with very little of the rushed, sketchy look we saw some of in the previous volume.

What's most remarkable, though, is how the three writers responsible for Volume 4 pick up the story threads of each other's work so fluidly, and give us a great Conan saga that doesn't slow down for anything. The highlight for me was Conan's run-in with the "original" Zamorians-- a clan of freaky, inbred savages. That was pure Tim Truman, right there, just like the frogs were pure Mike Mignola, and it boded well for Truman's future volumes.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely artwork and a fairly solid script in terms of the chapters by Kurt Busiek and Mike Mignola. I still really prefer Howard's original story for "The Halls of the Dead" because it was a lot more to the point and Conan didn't have a girlfriend with jealousy issues. And the story that followed after wards was fairly disappointing.

I'm also not much of a fan of Jiarra's role in any of the stories in this volume. Thankfully Nestor was around. He actually did things and joked a bit so it was nice to see him around a bit more. I like the manly warrior bond angle and I was glad to see that finally show up. Sadly this doesn't seem likely to take the place of brainless sidekicks and hot chicks. I find it really frustrating, to be honest. It's just insulting and adds nothing to Conan and his stories at all.

[Helmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sternen Augenschmaus

Ich rede nicht lange drumherum: Auch dieser vierte Band der gesammelten neuen Abenteuer Conans ist ein wahrer Augenschmaus und lebt hauptsächlich von den fantastischen Zeichnungen Cary Nords und der überwältigend guten Kolorierung von Dave Stewart. Einige atemberaubende Szenen (beispielsweise wie Conan durch den verlassenen Krötentempel streift) erwecken das Szenario richtig zum Leben.
Daneben gibt es ein solides Skript, das den jungen Conan so darstellt, wie ihn Howard geschaffen hat: nicht der edle Krieger, sondern der egoistische, rücksichtslose und noch unerfahrene Dieb, der sein Geld versäuft und verhurt.

Bindung, Papier, Druck und Einband sind tadellos und von hoher Qualität, identisch zu den anderen Bänden der Reihe. Ein Vorwort von Mike Mignola rundet das ganze ab.

Kurz: Die besten Conan-Comics aller Zeiten. Unbedingt zugreifen.

[Scott Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like volume three this one was hit or miss for me. Okay, a little more than last volume. The middle issues were nearly all visuals and sound effects. Now I appreciate the fact that comic books are a visual medium, but its the melding of visuals and language that I love about them. When the words disappear nearly entirely as they do in the middle of this volume (I almost thought I was in one of G.I. Joe's silent Snake Eyes gimic issues from the eighties) it just doesn't work for me.

The story in total was interesting, and mostly completes Conan's time in Zamora, as much as I can tell. I look forward to the next volumes.