Conan The Barbarian #28
Titan Comics; $4.99
It’s become increasingly difficult to find ways to praise Titan’s Conan The Barbarian without saying something I’ve said in a previous review of this series. Since its debut as a Free Comic Book Day issue in 2023, and despite a rotating roster of artists for each story arc, this series has been a model of consistency in an era in which creators and editors seem to think eight issues is a long run on a project.
Following the extra-sized, standalone Conan the Barbarian #25, writer Jim Zub and artist Fernando Dagnino launched “The Conquering Crown” as a three-part arc that concludes in #28, a spectacular issue that starts with Gerardo Zaffino’s moody, evocative cover and goes from there.
Zub, as usual, creates stories in which the artists – this case, Dagnino – have plenty of room for splash pages, but ones that also somehow leave the reader feeling as if they are densely-packed issues nonetheless. It’s an accomplishment to do that once, but he does it over and over.
Dagnino’s storytelling is solid and he clearly has a flair for the material. He easily shifts from a splash with inset panels on Page 1 and a two-page spread soon after that to pages packed with panels and key story elements. Great, strong stuff.
Diego Rodriguez, likewise, makes the colors come alive in a way that highlights the art without calling undue attention. The craft that Rodriguez has so clearly mastered. The shadows and lightly clearly add to the experience.
That brings us to the lettering. I don’t think I’ve highlighted it before in my numerous looks at this series, but Comicraft’s Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith keep delivering beautifully executed letters, titles, and sound effects. Aside from being entirely respectable with the word balloons and captions, their title pages add to the feeling that everyone creatively connected with this series knows what they’re doing. It actually enhances the experience.
You might wait for the trade paperback – which will be great – but seriously, go seek out these issues now!
– J.C. Vaughn
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Overstreet Access Quick Links
Conan The Barbarian #28
Titan Comics; $4.99
It’s become increasingly difficult to find ways to praise Titan’s Conan The Barbarian without saying something I’ve said in a previous review of this series. Since its debut as a Free Comic Book Day issue in 2023, and despite a rotating roster of artists for each story arc, this series has been a model of consistency in an era in which creators and editors seem to think eight issues is a long run on a project.
Following the extra-sized, standalone Conan the Barbarian #25, writer Jim Zub and artist Fernando Dagnino launched “The Conquering Crown” as a three-part arc that concludes in #28, a spectacular issue that starts with Gerardo Zaffino’s moody, evocative cover and goes from there.
Zub, as usual, creates stories in which the artists – this case, Dagnino – have plenty of room for splash pages, but ones that also somehow leave the reader feeling as if they are densely-packed issues nonetheless. It’s an accomplishment to do that once, but he does it over and over.
Dagnino’s storytelling is solid and he clearly has a flair for the material. He easily shifts from a splash with inset panels on Page 1 and a two-page spread soon after that to pages packed with panels and key story elements. Great, strong stuff.
Diego Rodriguez, likewise, makes the colors come alive in a way that highlights the art without calling undue attention. The craft that Rodriguez has so clearly mastered. The shadows and lightly clearly add to the experience.
That brings us to the lettering. I don’t think I’ve highlighted it before in my numerous looks at this series, but Comicraft’s Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith keep delivering beautifully executed letters, titles, and sound effects. Aside from being entirely respectable with the word balloons and captions, their title pages add to the feeling that everyone creatively connected with this series knows what they’re doing. It actually enhances the experience.
You might wait for the trade paperback – which will be great – but seriously, go seek out these issues now!
– J.C. Vaughn
Popular Topics
Overstreet Access Quick Links
