It's safe to say the barbarian/ancient warrior genre is back with a vengeance, bloody axe in hand along with the starry-eyed hopes of comics publishers.
One might think it started with Dark Horse's revival of the Conan franchise, but one would be wrong. There were hints of it ahead of time. The now-defunct Crossgen Comics delved into the fray with its Brath, The Path and Lady Death titles, but I hardly think the efforts of a bankrupt company inspired a whole new trend.
My theory is that we've Peter Jackson to thank or blame for the resurgence of adventures of brutes from dark, ancient times. His Lord of the Rings movie trilogy brought worlds of brutal, face-to-face but fantastic combat to life in a way many had never even considered. Those of us who enjoy comics or genre fiction or gaming are no stranger to such over-the-top, violent fantasies, but I personally believe Jackson introduced (or at least re-introduced) a significantly wider audience to the appeal of the clang of steel on steel, of the drama of flesh being shredded on a battlefield and images of magical, spiritual conflict as an oddly peaceful contrast.
Whatever the reasons, there's no denying the success of Dark Horse's Conan comics and Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja line. DC has launched its revived Warlord series and has even dusted off Claw the Unconquered -- an obscure 1970s Conan clone -- so as to join the party for a Red Sonja crossover, beginning this month. I suspect Red Sonja fans (as there can't be any real Claw fans out there, can there?) will gobble the book up as well.
Marvel won't be left out, you can be sure of that. If the barbarian trend has any legs, the "House of Ideas" will no doubt recycle one or two of those ideas. Is another Killraven revival far off? Kull the Conqueror? Skull the Slayer?
Honestly, I don't think the genre will enjoy a long new life. Conan will never die; why comics publication of Conan stories ever ceased is a mystery. I occasionally take a couple of boxes of comics to unload at a local flea market, and I am often asked about Conan books -- and specifically, Savage Sword of Conan magazines -- by people who haven't read comics in years but would relish a chance to spend some time with the Cimmerian warrior.
Once again, it all comes back to nostalgia and the cycles of the industry. The problem is that the industry has developed to a point that the casual reader -- one of those flea-market visitors who loved Conan during his teen years -- has no way of knowing about or accessing the new material. This is far from a new problem, and I'm not the one who's going to solve the industry's marketing and sales problems in one fell swoop.
I think Conan and company have sparked interest among comics readers for more than just nostalgic reasons. Despite the European settings, Conan strikes me as a thoroughly American icon. There's no doubt that Conan is going to march into any situation and kick ass, that he's going to use his strength, unforgiving nature and brutality to ensure that might makes right. In many ways, one can see Conan today as an analogy for the world's only super-power nation. Think about it... Conan inserts himself into a dangerous situation, unseating tyrrany, bringing freedom, even inspiring others. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
But perhaps what people are latching onto with this Conan revival is that the warrior represents a greater ideal. After the barbarian rights wrongs and metes out unmerciful punishment to the wicked -- he leaves. He doesn't develop an exit strategy. He just exits.
Perhaps a certain political administration should take note.
OK, sure, sometimes Conan stops off before his departure to indulge in some physical pleasure. In that scenario, the analogy works again. Just replace the notion of a scantily clad harem girl with an electorate. Or a "freed" population on the brink of civil war.
Don MacPherson wonders if anyone knows how to get blood out of a loincloth.
