While I've long known that some fans hold the fondness for Conan that I had for G.I. Joe or Spider-Man, I quite frankly didn't understand it until Dark Horse picked up the license, and now I wonder how I could have possibly missed out on the appeal of this character for so long. Not only have I become completely enamored of Dark Horse's trade reprints and new series, I find myself seeking out Robert E. Howard's prose. And it's all due to Busiek, Nord and the rest of the team on this book for showing me how cool this character could be. This issue, the second part of the "Hyperborea" story arc, is actually one of the strongest issues for me, as it cuts between Conan's cunning plan of escape and the reflection of one of the Hyperborean masters on how the land came to be this corrupt culture.
If the Conan series has one big selling point for me, it's that the creators are bringing a completely new world to life. In the beginning of this issue, Conan fights a batch of lions, and Busiek and Nord make them feel as fantastic and amazing as a dragon or other mythical beast, because they are visually powerful and dangerous, and we hear them described in terms of Conan's thoughts. Sure, we all know what lions are, we've seen them at the zoo, but to be faced with them suddenly when you've never seen them before, to see gleaming claws and teeth and catlike reflexes, they are spooky monsters.
Nord, Yeates and Stewart are always impressive, but I think this issue is one of the best they've done out of the last few. The images of the rise of Hyperborea, from the repelling of monstrous white ape creatures to the disturbing experimentation in their magical labs to the green and pleasant paradise that hides the rot and corruption of slavery, are evocative enough that Busiek's narration is mere icing on the cake. And the bloody battles between Conan and his allies and the slave owners call to mind the surprisingly effective violence of the first couple of issues of this new series.
There's also a sense of something building in this issue, the first glimpse we see that Conan isn't just the hero of the stories, but has a destiny. His leadership of the revolt comes at the same time one of the Hyperboreans is questioning the direction his culture has gone in, and one can't help but draw the conclusion that there might actually be some larger changes than just a mass escape when all is said and done. Busiek does a great job not only of setting up the decline of Hyperborea into decadence, but in building up the notion that Conan's attempt at escape is something almost unheard of in a realm where routine has been the order of the day for centuries.
I'm quite sure that there are plenty of people buying this book, or who started buying this book, because of a nostalgic love for the Conan comic book series of old. However, what has surprised me is that whether you start off with an affection for Conan or not, this book is as good an example of heroic fantasy that comics currently has to offer, all while staying true to the pulp roots of the character and maintaining what would seem like a contradictory modern tone and style.
