CONAN THE BARBARIAN: BOUND IN BLACK STONE - graphic novel

 I have not been this excited about a Conan graphic novel or comic book since the 1970's!

The story is set early in Conan's life (it's his first encounter with Thulsa Doom) but it is not (thankfully) an 'origin' story. Even so, those not familiar with the character will get a good understanding of who Conan is.

While visiting a small village, Conan encounters a Pict warrior scout. But before he can dispose of her, a horde of zombies invades and he and the Pict are the only survivors (by fighting together). They come to trust one another, warily. But Conan wants to get to Cimmeria, his home, before the zombies do.  

There is fighting, there is magic, there are some unexpected surprises, and there is sex/love-making along the way.

Jim Zub is the author here and does a really fine job of giving us (those of us long familiar with the character) the Conan that we want - not quite a superhero but a man who doesn't take shit from anyone and who has the strength and dexterity to be an imposing figure. It's a comic book storyline rather than a made-for-graphic novel storyline, meaning we get some repetition of what's happened before (not too much here) and the book doesn't have a clear ending (which I don't like). But the fact that the story keeps going is good, because that means there'll be more!

I really liked the female protagonist to Conan here.  She's a fantastic successor to Red Sonja. Strong and willful in her own right, she doesn't 'need' Conan but sees the advantage in being with him for a time. Given what I read here, I'd read a graphic novel of her own exploits.

The art by Rob de la Torre is just outstanding!  I honestly didn't think anyone would ever capture the Conan stories as well as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Ernie Chan, or even Alfredo Alcala but de la Torre's work here is definitely going to become the new standard to which all future Conan artists are compared. I am an immediate fan.

I rarely mention the coloring in a graphic novel, lumping it in (in my mind, at least) with the art in general, but I feel the desire to call out colorists Dean White and Jose Villarruba here. I have a real fondness for B&W art and Marvel's old The Savage Sword of Conan (1974-1995) was (in its early days at least) one of my all-time favorite magazines.  I didn't think it would be possible to add color and still capture the tone of the stories without making it so dark it would be hard to see, but White and Villarruba create some phenomenal colors here helping it to look dark without actually being too dark.

The book concludes with a short essay "Robert E. Howard and His Ages Undreamed Of" by Jeffrey Shanks. This was a fine piece of Howard history, but it didn't add anything to the book for me.  I'd rather have had more pages of graphic novel story. I did, however, appreciate the two-page spread art piece titled "Robert E. Howard Group Shot" by Rafael Kayanan - a drawing in family portrait style of a wide variety of Robert E. Howard's more familiar characters (in all genres).

This book just might get me buying comics again - at least the new Conan title.

Looking for a good book? Conan fans rejoice!  The graphic novel Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone is our Hyborian hero just the way we expect him to be.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

* * * * * *

Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone

author: Jim Zub

artist: Rob de la Torre 

publisher: Titan Comics

ISBN: 9781787740143

paperback, 128 pages