Things don’t go so well for our Cimmerian hero in this volume. He faces betrayal and loss, and one really angry ape-man. Rogues in the House takes up much of the volume, but it’s a good story with some cool Hyborian world building. It makes me want to see Conan venture into the ‘frontiers of Zamora’ and maybe face off against some more primitive beasts.
Conan’s disgust with the softness of princes and the treacherousness of priests is readily apparent, as is his sense of fairness and straight talk. If he says it, he does it.
Nord’s artwork falters a bit, but is still quite good, and Tomas Giorello does a good job filling in for a couple issues. Overall, though, the volume isn’t as rich and epic looking as earlier volumes. I can’t put my finger on it, but something seems missing, visually.
Timothy Truman seems fine so far in writing the Cimmerian. Some brooding, some anger, some disgust. The usual for Conan. This volume marks a turning point for Conan, as he moves from his wild youth into a more experienced and serious man. He gets a taste of bitterness with the loss of a good friend and the sting of a woman.
So, volume 5 is good, but not especially memorable. Rogues in the House was always an interesting idea, but not one of my favorites. That said, this is probably the best version I’ve seen. This is a transitional volume for Conan, where the last volume was kind of a transitional volume for the creative team behind this comic. Time will tell how that change effects things.
Conan: Volume 5: Rogues in the House and Other Stories
Author: Timothy Truman
Artists: Cary Nord and Tomas Giorello
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
ISBN: 978-1-59307-903-1
Pages: 160
-Matt
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