Saturday, June 11, 2011

Comic Review: Conan: The Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories


    There is a lot going on in this third volume of Conan.  We start things off with our man running afoul of some nasty demons, but quickly he faces a worse foe in the fickle hearts of women and the cunning treachery of civilized men.  But the story kicks into high gear when it comes to the namesake tale.


    Among my favorite Conan stories, The Tower of the Elephant was a treat to see rendered by Busiek and Nord in this volume.  And the flashback art by Michael Wm. Kaluta fits perfectly.  The sort of Lovecraftian bent to the tale, with intergalactic travelers landing on Earth in its pre-human days, and being worshiped as gods is very cool.


    The series continues to deliver solid adaptations of Howard stories alongside excellent extrapolations.  The art and writing are top notch and the spirit remains true to the original source like nothing else I’ve seen.  Like the heroes of old, Conan carouses, fights, loves, hates, and generally enjoys life.  It’s invigorating stuff.



Conan: Volume 3: The Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories
Author: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Cary Nord
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
ISBN: 9781593075477
Pages: 168


For previous Conan reviews, see:

Volume 0 Born on the Battlefield
Volume 1 The Frost Giant's Daughter
Volume 2 The God in the Bowl

-Matt

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