I've gotta say, I was skeptical about this one-shot, because the strength of the new Conan series could easily be diluted by spinoffs or putting out too much material for the fanbase. However, while Conan and the Daughters of Midora is not as impressive as the monthly series, it is a really good done-in-one adventure with a feel approaching that of the classic Marvel Conan. I still wouldn't want to see too many of these one-shots, but if they can all be of this level of quality, I wouldn't mind seeing a few each year from different creative teams to see them put their own stamp on Robert E. Howard's barbarian.
One thing is certain, Palmiotti and Texiera know what the readers want out of Conan, and they deliver it right up front. Scantily clad dancing girls, bloody sword fights with incredible odds, daring escapes and deadly wizards abound. The plot itself doesn't seem to offer up any surprises, and the reader may think they know where it's going, but Palmiotti has a few surprises up his sleeve, and provides an ending with a nice bit of emotional punch as well as a good twist. In addition, what at first seems like an unbelievable coincidence (Conan having the tools on hand to pick a lock), it is quickly revealed as part of a plan, something that reinforces Conan's thinking skills, one of my favorite aspects of the comics.
Mind you, while the plot is solid enough, the story does feel a little bit padded-out to me, and when the book costs five bucks, that can be annoying. Palmiotti and Texiera include vignettes with minor characters, like Conan's fellow prisoner or Lord Killver's minion, that seem to exist only to eat up a few panels, and could easily have been cut down to make the story flow more quickly. Given the economy of storytelling at work in the main Conan stories, while still maintaining the atmosphere that's so important to the character, it's hard not to be a little disappointed by comparison. Of course, not being as good as the Eisner-winning series is hardly a brutal critique, it just means that there is a notable difference between Daughters of Midora and the regular series.
There's a notable difference in terms of artwork as well. Texiera is a guy who has changed his style numerous times, and some of it I've loved and some of it I've hated. This is nothing like the style that I associate with him generally, and indeed reads more like the classic look of John Buscema, as enhanced by modern coloring techniques from Michelle Madsen and inks from Palmiotti. The style definitely agrees with the book, and Texiera clearly puts a lot of work into making the pulp aspects of the book (the violence and sexuality) really pop. The storytelling is a little less old school, with a panel design that doesn't easily lead the reader around the page, sometimes making the reader wonder if the story is meant to follow vertically or horizontally depending on the page. It's never so bad as to really disrupt the story, but it does kick the reader out from time to time and slow down the momentum.
The easiest way to describe Conan and the Daughters of Midora is that it reads more like classic Conan comics as contrasted with the new series' "Ultimate Conan" feel. It's got all the key ingredients that makes Conan fun, and some pretty solid craft on writing and art, and is worth a look if you're a fan of the character. 8/10
