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King Conan #1-6
King Conan
An old and terrible danger threatens to end King Conan's saga once and for all! Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar return to the saga of Conan - and together they take the Cimmerian futher than has ever been revealed in any media to date! As Robert E. Howard posited, when King Conan of Aquilonia grows restless on the throne, he sails west, toward land and adventure unknown. Now, see the first step of that fateful journey! When an unholy alliance is forged and fallen warriors rise to fight again, will Conan finally be forced to succumb to the lure of cursed sorcery? And what of his son, Prince Conn, and the kingdom of Aquilonia left behind? Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime, the end of an era and the final stand against Thoth-Amon!
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2022
7 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,359 books1,677 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 5, 2025
King Conan is done with civilized life hé misses his life as the wanderer and barbarian . Hé has chosen this wandering again while King Conan II is reigning Aquilonia.
A shipwreck lands him on an island at the edge of the world where hé encounters another survivor by the name of Thoth Amon, they have been mortal enemies for most of their adult lives.
But neither man is the source of darkness that engulfs the cursed Island that contains treasure and death.
Conan after being a King yearns for the simple live of a warrior and yet his opponents judge him as a King and not for the fearless barbarian that came before and now after.
Conan returns to an easier life and his adventure did not change him. While his son mournes his fathers passing having found remnants of the mighty broadsword his father always carried on him, while Conan is out there savouring the warrior life.
A tale of the mighty warrior who became a King and then became a sole warrior again. Great art and a fun Adventure.
A shipwreck lands him on an island at the edge of the world where hé encounters another survivor by the name of Thoth Amon, they have been mortal enemies for most of their adult lives.
But neither man is the source of darkness that engulfs the cursed Island that contains treasure and death.
Conan after being a King yearns for the simple live of a warrior and yet his opponents judge him as a King and not for the fearless barbarian that came before and now after.
Conan returns to an easier life and his adventure did not change him. While his son mournes his fathers passing having found remnants of the mighty broadsword his father always carried on him, while Conan is out there savouring the warrior life.
A tale of the mighty warrior who became a King and then became a sole warrior again. Great art and a fun Adventure.
January 7, 2025
Conan as he should be. What could be better than a Conan book, a Conan book with two generations of Conan, and all the violence I expect.
Conan is shipwrecked in a mysterious island with his greatest enemy, and that is not even the most dangerous part. Like most facing the final battle, Conan remembers parts of his life and what a life it has been.
It is a great book full of action. Conan comes full circle meeting the end on his own term, but his legacy shall continue. The book finishes with a thumbnail varient cover gallery.
Conan is shipwrecked in a mysterious island with his greatest enemy, and that is not even the most dangerous part. Like most facing the final battle, Conan remembers parts of his life and what a life it has been.
It is a great book full of action. Conan comes full circle meeting the end on his own term, but his legacy shall continue. The book finishes with a thumbnail varient cover gallery.
January 3, 2025
This was a great story!
January 22, 2024
This was a one-shot story. It seems to act as an ending for the King Conan series.
It is a tale about the last days of Conan. Having ruled Aquilonia, Conan is bored. His heir, Conn (Conan II), is ready to ascend the throne and even though he is very different from his father, Conn has his father's strengths.
Conan goes to wander the world and ends up shipwrecked on an island of dead people and a witch. The best part? He has to team up with his arch-nemesis, Thoth-Amon, to survive. While that's the basic "story", this volume shines in the historical backgrounds it provides- from Conn's conversation with Conan, Conan's outlooks, and the background of Thoth-Amon. All of these were very interesting and the story itself serves as a poignant and heroic ending to the King Conan story.
It is a tale about the last days of Conan. Having ruled Aquilonia, Conan is bored. His heir, Conn (Conan II), is ready to ascend the throne and even though he is very different from his father, Conn has his father's strengths.
Conan goes to wander the world and ends up shipwrecked on an island of dead people and a witch. The best part? He has to team up with his arch-nemesis, Thoth-Amon, to survive. While that's the basic "story", this volume shines in the historical backgrounds it provides- from Conn's conversation with Conan, Conan's outlooks, and the background of Thoth-Amon. All of these were very interesting and the story itself serves as a poignant and heroic ending to the King Conan story.
May 8, 2023
Good fun with a superannuated King Conan doing his own version of The Old Man and the Sea and coming face to face with traditionally baddie Thoth-Amon and another demonic foe inspired by Mesoamerican folklore.
Along the way we learn what makes Thoth-Amon just so, erm, Thoth-Amon-y and also the seaworthiness of human nail clippings. Fun times in the Hyborean Age!
Along the way we learn what makes Thoth-Amon just so, erm, Thoth-Amon-y and also the seaworthiness of human nail clippings. Fun times in the Hyborean Age!
December 24, 2022
Conan, what is best in life? Conan: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."
Ah! Hearing that quote always gets me excited about returning to the Hyborian Age and experiencing the epic adventures of one of the most famous characters in fiction. Robert Howard's Conan has captivated audiences for decades and continues to be the standard for sword & sorcery adventure fiction. Jason Aaron has done a masterful job with the character in the Marvel comics iteration of the character. This series is no exception. Aaron takes the reader on an interesting adventure in the pages of King Conan. What is unique about this book is that we are on a journey at the end of Conan's troubled rule of Aquillonia. What Aaron offers here is a thought-provoking mystique as to why Conan now the king is troubled. Conan is a warrior and has a continuous hunger for battle and challenge. What happens to the hero after he completes his mission? Or when he has vanquished every fo foe? I really enjoyed the action in this book and how Aaron & artist Asrar balanced the hack-and-slash with great characterization. This book oozes barbarian. The most surprising thing to me is that Conan is as much his own enemy as the forces he is facing here. Thoth Amon is wickedly fun in this book as well. The best moment in this book by far is the emotional clash between Conan and his son. That scene filled me with so much emotion. The colors and illustrations are some of the best in the business. I was truly sad when this tale came to the end. It is sad to see Conan once again leave Marvel but I know this is not the end of great Conan storytelling. Those looking for more great Conan should check out the Cimmerian series being published by Ablaze. I have already read The Cimmerian, Vol. 1, The Cimmerian, Vol 2, & The Cimmerian, Vol 3. If you are looking for a truly unique take on the hack slash genre checkout Birthright, Vol. 1: Homecoming-Birthright, Vol. 10: Epilogue. Looking forward to more high adventures with Conan next year.
Ah! Hearing that quote always gets me excited about returning to the Hyborian Age and experiencing the epic adventures of one of the most famous characters in fiction. Robert Howard's Conan has captivated audiences for decades and continues to be the standard for sword & sorcery adventure fiction. Jason Aaron has done a masterful job with the character in the Marvel comics iteration of the character. This series is no exception. Aaron takes the reader on an interesting adventure in the pages of King Conan. What is unique about this book is that we are on a journey at the end of Conan's troubled rule of Aquillonia. What Aaron offers here is a thought-provoking mystique as to why Conan now the king is troubled. Conan is a warrior and has a continuous hunger for battle and challenge. What happens to the hero after he completes his mission? Or when he has vanquished every fo foe? I really enjoyed the action in this book and how Aaron & artist Asrar balanced the hack-and-slash with great characterization. This book oozes barbarian. The most surprising thing to me is that Conan is as much his own enemy as the forces he is facing here. Thoth Amon is wickedly fun in this book as well. The best moment in this book by far is the emotional clash between Conan and his son. That scene filled me with so much emotion. The colors and illustrations are some of the best in the business. I was truly sad when this tale came to the end. It is sad to see Conan once again leave Marvel but I know this is not the end of great Conan storytelling. Those looking for more great Conan should check out the Cimmerian series being published by Ablaze. I have already read The Cimmerian, Vol. 1, The Cimmerian, Vol 2, & The Cimmerian, Vol 3. If you are looking for a truly unique take on the hack slash genre checkout Birthright, Vol. 1: Homecoming-Birthright, Vol. 10: Epilogue. Looking forward to more high adventures with Conan next year.
September 7, 2022
Mahmud Asrar and the colorist do a great job but Jason Aaron just butchers my favourite character here.
There's two stories here, the main one is Conan and Thoth Amon getting trapped on a cursed island. The story is a fine, if generic, Conan romp... but Aaron is taking some liberties with the characterizations. King Conan and his enemy Thoth Amon are not acting like themselves here.
The other story is of Conan and his son Conn. Conan is trying to get Conn ready to take over the kingdom. It's fine and could have been really good if it had more time to develop.
There's two stories here, the main one is Conan and Thoth Amon getting trapped on a cursed island. The story is a fine, if generic, Conan romp... but Aaron is taking some liberties with the characterizations. King Conan and his enemy Thoth Amon are not acting like themselves here.
The other story is of Conan and his son Conn. Conan is trying to get Conn ready to take over the kingdom. It's fine and could have been really good if it had more time to develop.
October 1, 2022
Good story and excellent artwork. All the mayhem you would expect from a Conan tale. A fitting sendoff from Marvel to Titan comics in May 2023.
September 19, 2022
In 1982’s Conan the Barbarian, the film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger was on the brink of stardom, it showed us the origin story of the Cimmerian who grows up to become a swordsman to seek vengeance for the death of his parents at the hands of a snake cult. At the end of the film, an older Conan is shown wearing a crown and sitting on a throne, revealing that after many years and many victories in battle, Conan became a king by his own hand, but that is another story. When the sequel was released a few years, the eponymous barbarian was off on another adventure, concluding again with the image of an older, crowned Conan, teasing us that the story will be told.
Despite the many possibilities of Arnie getting his King Conan movie made – excluding the 2011 remake that less said, the better – it does seem that it’s never going to happen. Well, there is always the Robert E. Howard stories, or if you want to read something more recent, Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar’s King Conan. When Marvel reclaimed the rights to Conan the Barbarian in 2019, Aaron and Asrar did the first twelve issues of the flagship title, presenting an ongoing narrative about King Conan approaching his supposed death whilst cutting back and forth with the barbarian’s adventures that are classic sword-and-sorcery. With their King Conan six-issue miniseries, it is doing a similar thing.
When the King of Aquilonia grows restless on the throne, he sails west, landing in a mysterious cursed island where he is reunited with an old nemesis, the Stygian wizard Thoth-Amon. When the two have to work together in order to escape the island and its curse, the story flashes back to Conan’s last days on the throne and what was the decision to leave his kingdom, and what does that mean for his son, Prince Conn.
Among the two narratives that are going on, the island stuff feels more like your classic Conan story where the main character has to cleave his way for survival against the likes of his nemesis, a variety of monsters and an antagonist that received controversy when introduced in the publication of the single issues. Considering that the Robert E. Howard stories are known for putting a fantasy take on various cultures, leading to some criticism, it feels like Aaron is taking cue with the creation of Princess Prima, seen as being a direct reference and parallel to that of Native American historical figure, Pocahontas. Along with Aaron issuing an apology, Asrar even altered the character’s design to be less sexualised. Having not heard of the controversy prior to reading this trade, I still enjoyed the overall narrative for its splashy violence and even the banter between Conan and Thoth-Amon.
However, regarding the other narrative where things are retrospective, is where the heart of King Conan lies. When you look at some of the issues from Aaron’s run on Conan the Barbarian that showcased his role as king, there is always that sense of Conan yearning to go out on an adventure as he was someone who left his village at an early age and learning to fight in order to survive. As a Cimmerian who has made a name for himself, no one can understand his way of life, apart from his son. With the other half of the comic being a father-son story, there is a lot of drama between Conan and Conn, resulting in swordplay, but eventually a greater understanding of one another, concluding with a touching splash of the king and prince embracing each other.
If you have read his work on Conan the Barbarian, you will know that Mahmud Asrar is having a bloody good time, illustrating the various locations of the Hyborian Age, where Conan has to cleave his way to survive, leading to gloriously gory action sequences, enhanced by the gorgeous colouring by Matthew Wilson. Asrar gets to do some colouring himself during the early issues with splash pages, flashing back to the character’s previous story and they look incredible.
With Marvel no longer owning the rights to Conan the Barbarian, King Conan ends on a high note as Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar once again reminds us why this character endures, with a story where one feels retrospective about their adventurous life.
Despite the many possibilities of Arnie getting his King Conan movie made – excluding the 2011 remake that less said, the better – it does seem that it’s never going to happen. Well, there is always the Robert E. Howard stories, or if you want to read something more recent, Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar’s King Conan. When Marvel reclaimed the rights to Conan the Barbarian in 2019, Aaron and Asrar did the first twelve issues of the flagship title, presenting an ongoing narrative about King Conan approaching his supposed death whilst cutting back and forth with the barbarian’s adventures that are classic sword-and-sorcery. With their King Conan six-issue miniseries, it is doing a similar thing.
When the King of Aquilonia grows restless on the throne, he sails west, landing in a mysterious cursed island where he is reunited with an old nemesis, the Stygian wizard Thoth-Amon. When the two have to work together in order to escape the island and its curse, the story flashes back to Conan’s last days on the throne and what was the decision to leave his kingdom, and what does that mean for his son, Prince Conn.
Among the two narratives that are going on, the island stuff feels more like your classic Conan story where the main character has to cleave his way for survival against the likes of his nemesis, a variety of monsters and an antagonist that received controversy when introduced in the publication of the single issues. Considering that the Robert E. Howard stories are known for putting a fantasy take on various cultures, leading to some criticism, it feels like Aaron is taking cue with the creation of Princess Prima, seen as being a direct reference and parallel to that of Native American historical figure, Pocahontas. Along with Aaron issuing an apology, Asrar even altered the character’s design to be less sexualised. Having not heard of the controversy prior to reading this trade, I still enjoyed the overall narrative for its splashy violence and even the banter between Conan and Thoth-Amon.
However, regarding the other narrative where things are retrospective, is where the heart of King Conan lies. When you look at some of the issues from Aaron’s run on Conan the Barbarian that showcased his role as king, there is always that sense of Conan yearning to go out on an adventure as he was someone who left his village at an early age and learning to fight in order to survive. As a Cimmerian who has made a name for himself, no one can understand his way of life, apart from his son. With the other half of the comic being a father-son story, there is a lot of drama between Conan and Conn, resulting in swordplay, but eventually a greater understanding of one another, concluding with a touching splash of the king and prince embracing each other.
If you have read his work on Conan the Barbarian, you will know that Mahmud Asrar is having a bloody good time, illustrating the various locations of the Hyborian Age, where Conan has to cleave his way to survive, leading to gloriously gory action sequences, enhanced by the gorgeous colouring by Matthew Wilson. Asrar gets to do some colouring himself during the early issues with splash pages, flashing back to the character’s previous story and they look incredible.
With Marvel no longer owning the rights to Conan the Barbarian, King Conan ends on a high note as Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar once again reminds us why this character endures, with a story where one feels retrospective about their adventurous life.
March 8, 2023
This is a fantastic handling of Conan as King of Aquilonia. It captures everything about the barbarian that allowed him to rise from Cimmeria to the throne of Aquilonia while also making clear exactly what being there costs Conan, and how what got him there is exactly what makes it impossible for him to stay.
The balancing of flashback and "present-moment" storytelling allows for rich delivery of multiple stories, all of which resonate and compound one another to make a defining statement about who this barbarian monarch, was, is, and will be.
Asrar's art is consistently strong throughout as well.
The balancing of flashback and "present-moment" storytelling allows for rich delivery of multiple stories, all of which resonate and compound one another to make a defining statement about who this barbarian monarch, was, is, and will be.
Asrar's art is consistently strong throughout as well.
August 25, 2022
I love Conan,
I have since discovering the old paperback novels from the '60s by L. Sprague DeCamp
that embellished and breather new life into the originals by Howard.
However.....
The excitement that I felt upon realising that Conan was back and being written Aaron
was short lived.
The 1st issue was meandering and just plain boring.
Maybe it got better but I could not muster up the strength to find out.
I have since discovering the old paperback novels from the '60s by L. Sprague DeCamp
that embellished and breather new life into the originals by Howard.
However.....
The excitement that I felt upon realising that Conan was back and being written Aaron
was short lived.
The 1st issue was meandering and just plain boring.
Maybe it got better but I could not muster up the strength to find out.
Read
January 2, 2023"Conan had survived being marooned before, but never so far from any semblance of home. He was alone at the edge of the world. Past the limits of all civilized maps. Far across the unexplored reaches of the Western Sea. Brought to a rock of rotted doom on maggot-infested waters. A stony scab of an island that no soul had ever survived long enough to name." You can't say it doesn't have the voice down, but at first this feels like it's missing the opportunity presented by the title to finally give us the story of the last days, the third Arnie film that should have been (and maybe still could): it's entirely within character for Conan to have renounced the crown of Aquilonia, ended up battling for his life on a cursed isle, but Crom damn it, we want to see him brooding on a throne! Fortunately, the structure is much like that of Aaron and Asrar's previous Life And Death Of Conan, incorporating flashbacks to the years before (not to mention Marvel's earlier Conan comics, beloved of Barack Obama*), so we do get to see that too – the Cimmerian bridling at the responsibilities of rank, insistent on leading wars from the front when it makes no sense, and reduced to seeking tavern brawls when even that fails him. Worse, taking on a particularly extreme version of the older generation's resentment of their pampered children – one motivated by love, but no less fucked-up for all that. It's hard not to feel that overall, Marvel's second stab at the Conan licence was a bit of a flop, and presumably the Howard estate agree given its brevity compared to first time around. But if there was nothing much to shout about between the first Aaron/Asrar series and the second (well, bar maybe Conan meeting modern day Marvel in the better than it had any right to be Savage Avengers) then all the same, what a magnificent pair of bookends they make.
*It always disappointed me that, among the many, many jokes about Biden being a bit on the aged side, nobody ever seemed to go for the one about how Obama picked him because he was so excited to meet someone who'd been there for the Hyborian Age.
*It always disappointed me that, among the many, many jokes about Biden being a bit on the aged side, nobody ever seemed to go for the one about how Obama picked him because he was so excited to meet someone who'd been there for the Hyborian Age.
February 7, 2024
I’m not really into Conan, with this being my first Conan comic. I only picked it up from the library because I like Jason Aaron’s work (mostly) and Mahmud Asrar’s art. I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was, though I shouldn’t have been—Aaron’s heightened sensibilities are a perfect fit for this material. I had no background on Conan, and needed none to understand and enjoy this tale. Recommended.
September 26, 2022
One last duel and grand melee with an unlikely ally. Conan lives and 'rides' off into the sunset.
September 2, 2022
4.5 Stars
Read
August 28, 2022Jason Aaron’s Marvel comics are pretty much all I know about Conan and I don’t know that my interactions with Conan will ever go much beyond them but I definitely enjoyed my time in the Hyborian Age.
July 7, 2022
A story of the later days of the titular Cimmerian's life is told by two intersecting tales, one of a king racked with doubt over raising his own teenage son after a life of adventure, the other of the vagabond barbarian fighting against and later alongside a deadly sworn enemy on a cursed island.
Jason Aaron returns to the world of Conan with his usual flair for simple, effective world-building, intense action and strong characterization.
Jason Aaron returns to the world of Conan with his usual flair for simple, effective world-building, intense action and strong characterization.
July 9, 2022
Setting aside the use of the name Matoaka (aka Pocahontas) for a slightly similar but unrelated villainous character, the whole Hyborian age retelling of the Aztecs and the Spanish is a really off note in Aaron's otherwise solid run on Conan.
The setup for a "final" Conan story otherwise works pretty well. The Conn stuff is well done; the Thoth stuff somewhat less so. But the art is good and it's overall pretty fun. Again, setting aside the fucked up racist stuff!
The setup for a "final" Conan story otherwise works pretty well. The Conn stuff is well done; the Thoth stuff somewhat less so. But the art is good and it's overall pretty fun. Again, setting aside the fucked up racist stuff!
June 26, 2025
"It's true what the scrolls always say, that when death draws as near as a lover, one's mind floods itself with memories of the moments you felt most alive."
An aging Conan has abandoned the throne of Aquilonia and sailed west to find new adventure. After being shipwrecked on an uncharted isle, he is surprised to encounter his old nemesis Thoth-amon. He is even more surprised to discover that each evening when the sun sets, the island is swarmed with hordes of the undead…
In a series of flashbacks, Conan chafes from the drudgery of day-to-day bureaucracy. He grapples with fear that Prince Conn may be growing soft living in the royal court…
The creative team of Jason Aaron and Mamud Asrar left Conan the Barbarian after they finished the "Life and Death of Conan" arc. Their reboot of King Conan is a direct sequel that picks up where CtB #12 "Power in the Blood" left off. This trade paperback collects the entire series.
The story loosely sticks with established Marvel continuity. Queen Zenobia is dead, having perished in childbirth between Conan the King issue #55 and Conan of the Isles. (I believe the framing story with Thoth-amon takes place during or shortly after the events of Conan of the Isles.) However, the problem of Prince Conn growing too civilized seems to ignore his childhood adventures as related in the original Conan the King comics.
Asrar's art is dominated by a moody, subdued color palette of grays, purples, and blues. It is a distinctly different look from (and a nice contrast to) the work that Roge Antonio and Cory Smith were putting out in Conan the Barbarian that same year.
The highlight of the series is seeing how Conn ascends the throne to become King Conan II. This is one of only a few stories set after Conan’s royal kingship ends. This is also the first time readers have seen Conan and Thoth-amon in a sword-to-sword showdown. Previously, as in Howard's original stories, the two never met face to face and fought only through proxies.
Issue #3 "The Princess of Golden Ruin" generated a minor controversy upon release. It features a villainess, Princess Matoaka. In real life Matoaka was the indigenous name used by the woman history knows as Pocahantas, and the fictional character's backstory bears similarity to the real Matoaka. Fans complained about how she is portrayed in the comic.
Her name is changed to Princess Prima In the next issue, and her feathery Aztec headdress and gold bikini is replaced by a bulky leather-and-bone getup, all to the detriment of her character over the final half of the series. The trade paperback removes the name Matoaka altogether.
3 stars. (It would have been 4 stars if Marvel had not watered down their conception of Matoaka, perhaps just used a different name instead.)
An aging Conan has abandoned the throne of Aquilonia and sailed west to find new adventure. After being shipwrecked on an uncharted isle, he is surprised to encounter his old nemesis Thoth-amon. He is even more surprised to discover that each evening when the sun sets, the island is swarmed with hordes of the undead…
In a series of flashbacks, Conan chafes from the drudgery of day-to-day bureaucracy. He grapples with fear that Prince Conn may be growing soft living in the royal court…
The creative team of Jason Aaron and Mamud Asrar left Conan the Barbarian after they finished the "Life and Death of Conan" arc. Their reboot of King Conan is a direct sequel that picks up where CtB #12 "Power in the Blood" left off. This trade paperback collects the entire series.
The story loosely sticks with established Marvel continuity. Queen Zenobia is dead, having perished in childbirth between Conan the King issue #55 and Conan of the Isles. (I believe the framing story with Thoth-amon takes place during or shortly after the events of Conan of the Isles.) However, the problem of Prince Conn growing too civilized seems to ignore his childhood adventures as related in the original Conan the King comics.
Asrar's art is dominated by a moody, subdued color palette of grays, purples, and blues. It is a distinctly different look from (and a nice contrast to) the work that Roge Antonio and Cory Smith were putting out in Conan the Barbarian that same year.
The highlight of the series is seeing how Conn ascends the throne to become King Conan II. This is one of only a few stories set after Conan’s royal kingship ends. This is also the first time readers have seen Conan and Thoth-amon in a sword-to-sword showdown. Previously, as in Howard's original stories, the two never met face to face and fought only through proxies.
Issue #3 "The Princess of Golden Ruin" generated a minor controversy upon release. It features a villainess, Princess Matoaka. In real life Matoaka was the indigenous name used by the woman history knows as Pocahantas, and the fictional character's backstory bears similarity to the real Matoaka. Fans complained about how she is portrayed in the comic.
Her name is changed to Princess Prima In the next issue, and her feathery Aztec headdress and gold bikini is replaced by a bulky leather-and-bone getup, all to the detriment of her character over the final half of the series. The trade paperback removes the name Matoaka altogether.
3 stars. (It would have been 4 stars if Marvel had not watered down their conception of Matoaka, perhaps just used a different name instead.)
March 21, 2023
This gotta be one of the best things Aaron has written and what an ending to Conan if you think about it..
So the story is about how Conan is in these far lands where he fights Thoth-amon again and we see the story leading upto what happened to him and how his son is involved, and its like some of the best stuff of Conan ever and really shows who he is, and here on this land he has to fight his arch-foe and learn of the curse of the land and meet Princess Prima, who maybe a friend or foe or something else entirely, will Conan survive this odyssey or will it be his final end song?
Its such a weirdly well told tale and yeah its switching back between timelines and thats kinda like Aaron's thing and he utilizes it really well here truly showing who Conan is and what it means to be a Cimmerian, really fleshing out the relationship between him and his son and then giving him such great enemies here and also giving a good origin and motivation to Thoth-amon that really makes their rivalry legendary.
The end pages are sort of like a love letter from Aaron to REH, creator of Conan and its wonderful.. and essentially tells what Conan's life is about and who he is.. just beautiful stuff.
Plus the art by Mahmud is gorgeous, I loved it!!
So the story is about how Conan is in these far lands where he fights Thoth-amon again and we see the story leading upto what happened to him and how his son is involved, and its like some of the best stuff of Conan ever and really shows who he is, and here on this land he has to fight his arch-foe and learn of the curse of the land and meet Princess Prima, who maybe a friend or foe or something else entirely, will Conan survive this odyssey or will it be his final end song?
Its such a weirdly well told tale and yeah its switching back between timelines and thats kinda like Aaron's thing and he utilizes it really well here truly showing who Conan is and what it means to be a Cimmerian, really fleshing out the relationship between him and his son and then giving him such great enemies here and also giving a good origin and motivation to Thoth-amon that really makes their rivalry legendary.
The end pages are sort of like a love letter from Aaron to REH, creator of Conan and its wonderful.. and essentially tells what Conan's life is about and who he is.. just beautiful stuff.
Plus the art by Mahmud is gorgeous, I loved it!!
July 16, 2023
After a successful anthology series reintroducing CONAN to Marvel, Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar, reunite for a 6 issue follow up series KING CONAN. While we briefly touched on his time as a King in the previous series, we now see how his rule had progressed with his son Conn at his side. With peace and a lack of challenges weighing on him he decides to push his son to become the man he thinks Conn needs to be. From there events take King Conan to a cursed island where he has one final showdown with his arch enemy, the sorcerer of Set, Toth-Amon.
I enjoyed the anthology nature of the previous series. KING CONAN is more of a single tale broken up by flashbacks to his time as king. It leaves Conan with as good an ending as the Cimmerian could hope for. If you liked CONAN read this. It has all the hallmarks of a classic Robert E. Howard Conan story.
I enjoyed the anthology nature of the previous series. KING CONAN is more of a single tale broken up by flashbacks to his time as king. It leaves Conan with as good an ending as the Cimmerian could hope for. If you liked CONAN read this. It has all the hallmarks of a classic Robert E. Howard Conan story.
August 3, 2023
Count on a Conan book to pretty much be exactly what you'd expect...
The story gets divided into two stories where they bounce back and forth.
1) King Conan sails west, and gets trapped on a cursed island. To fight his way past the curse, he must join sides with his old enemy Thoth-Amon, until he is able to turn against him again.
2) King Conan is trying to raise his son, Prince Conn, into the barbarian he believes he should be. Trying to deny his claim on the throne till he goes out into the world and makes a name for himself, Conn fights back and shows his father he is already "a man". Later, King Conn makes a journey across the sea and throws a sword out into the ocean to find his father. Conan does and uses it to go on further adventures.
Overall, good and fast read.
Recommend.
(Question: Is Marvel done with Conan now? Or will there be more?)
The story gets divided into two stories where they bounce back and forth.
1) King Conan sails west, and gets trapped on a cursed island. To fight his way past the curse, he must join sides with his old enemy Thoth-Amon, until he is able to turn against him again.
2) King Conan is trying to raise his son, Prince Conn, into the barbarian he believes he should be. Trying to deny his claim on the throne till he goes out into the world and makes a name for himself, Conn fights back and shows his father he is already "a man". Later, King Conn makes a journey across the sea and throws a sword out into the ocean to find his father. Conan does and uses it to go on further adventures.
Overall, good and fast read.
Recommend.
(Question: Is Marvel done with Conan now? Or will there be more?)
December 24, 2024
A pretty good read, clearly meant as the last Conan story for Marvel and the character.
Mostly taking place on a deserted isle surrounded by shipwrecks full of the undead we get a lot of final scenes in six issues.
Conan closes the door on his antagonism with Thoth Amon, his reign as King of Aquilonia, his relationship with his son Conan II, and his own homeland forever.
The flashbacks to his son is bit too emotion laden, but work well enough. The origins of Conan’s two protagonists on the island are only briefly covered and rightfully so. Too much garbled American history disguised as fantasy would have gotten irritating.
This isn’t the send off I would have given King Conan, but it still works as a send off. 4/5
Mostly taking place on a deserted isle surrounded by shipwrecks full of the undead we get a lot of final scenes in six issues.
Conan closes the door on his antagonism with Thoth Amon, his reign as King of Aquilonia, his relationship with his son Conan II, and his own homeland forever.
The flashbacks to his son is bit too emotion laden, but work well enough. The origins of Conan’s two protagonists on the island are only briefly covered and rightfully so. Too much garbled American history disguised as fantasy would have gotten irritating.
This isn’t the send off I would have given King Conan, but it still works as a send off. 4/5
December 9, 2022
A nicely told, contained story. It's tough to add anything that feels fresh and new with characters that are closing in on being 100 years old, but the contemplation of mortality/fatherhood for Conan and the backstory/motivations for Thoth-Amon were both handled really well. It doesn't hurt that the art is fantastic. Some of these splash pages are to die for.
It's also really nice that this story fits with the continuity introduced in Conan 2099, which I would desperately like to see more from.
It's also really nice that this story fits with the continuity introduced in Conan 2099, which I would desperately like to see more from.
January 23, 2023
I guess this is something of a requiem for the character as he moves on from the Marvel stable? It sure reads that way at least. One last hurrah for Conan as he allies with Thoth-Amon to fight the evil witch who rules over an island wasteland, filled with the wreckage of many, many ships, as well as the bodies of their crew, who appear to come back to life each night. The artwork was good throughout this. The story was kind of "blah" on the whole. I think Conan deserved something more, something better than this.
June 20, 2023
Jason Aaron is so good at what he does. He tells the story of a man driven by an adventurous nature and its really good. Conan is a violent, bloody book that looked in credible. Mahmud Asrar does an amazing job. Every panel and page is spectacular. Aaron's plot is incredibly solid but the dialogue does get flowery at times, but given the subject its expected. I thought the main story was a little too obvious but the flashbacks were flawless. Overall, another very strong book by Aaron and Asrar.
September 19, 2022
By Crom! This is the best illustrated Conan I have ever read. I did not think you could top some of the Dark Horse volumes or REH conversions but Jason Aaron does a stellar job with this short 6 issue run. After I finished the volume I was hoping it continued but sadly this it it. A must have for any Conan / REH fan!
December 14, 2022
I found this to be pretty weak. It doesn't help that I don't care even the slightest about Thoth-Amon, especially as a arch-nemesis. The art looks great but the adventure was generic without a lot of the charms of past Conan comic stories.
December 19, 2023
Predivno, prekrasno, čudesno! Nisam mogla da pretpostavim da će me strip o Konanu nekad ovako dirnuti.
Omiljeni trenutak:
- "Ne!", šapnuo je dečak u krošnji.
Osim toga, u ovom broju je crtež bio fantastičan - Mahmud Azrar je definitivno najbolji strip crtač u ovom serijalu.
Omiljeni trenutak:
- "Ne!", šapnuo je dečak u krošnji.
Osim toga, u ovom broju je crtež bio fantastičan - Mahmud Azrar je definitivno najbolji strip crtač u ovom serijalu.
July 30, 2025
Loved this. Such good fun after books 1 and 2.
Conan goes west “of Westeros”. Great stuff with Thoth Amon.
‘For he was a man with the heart of a boy. The boy who became a King. The King who became a wanderer’
Conan goes west “of Westeros”. Great stuff with Thoth Amon.
‘For he was a man with the heart of a boy. The boy who became a King. The King who became a wanderer’
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