CONAN AND THE MIDNIGHT GOD #5
© Dark Horse
Mania Grade: A
Issue: 5
Authors: Joshua Dysart, Will Conrad, Juan Ferreyra, Richard Starkings
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $2.99
Issue: 5
Authors: Joshua Dysart, Will Conrad, Juan Ferreyra, Richard Starkings
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $2.99
CONAN AND THE MIDNIGHT GOD #5
By: Kurt AmackerReview Date: Sunday, August 12, 2007
Conan and the Midnight God concludes with this fifth issue, reinforcing the amazingly consistent quality of Dark Horse’s Conan brand. Written by Violent Messiahs scribs Joshua Dysart and with art by Will Conrad, the issue brings the titular king of Aquliaonia to the dark heart of Stygia in pursuit of the wizard Ra-Sidh. The latter took the life of King Conan’s unborn son with a cursed blanket of Stygian silk offered in trade. As Conan and his armies plunged into Stygian territory, great armies of the dead arose and marred their progress. By this issue, Conan finds himself at the foot of ancient sorcerers older than any known to him, as they plead with him to stop Ra-Sidh from summoning an ancient evil. But, Ra-Sidh has prepared for the barbarian king. The wizard has captured a young boy that serves as a surrogate son on Conan’s quest through Stygia. When Conan arrives, the boy has become the host of something great and terrible.
Conan fights giant monsters all the time. But, this series adds an especially human twist. The death of Conan’s unborn son sends him on a personal mission of revenge against Ra-Sidh – one for which he will sacrifice his own armies and kingdom, along with any that stand between them and Stygia. Dysart elevates the series beyond simple blood-and-thunder action into a character piece. Granted, he still bathes the story in blood and violence. But, he touches the heart of good storytelling – a human situation to which any reader can relate. As the series opens with war brewing in the region, it becomes increasingly personal for Conan. The reader watches as his drive for revenge becomes complicated, both by his willingness to abdicate his throne and his friendship with a young boy that reminds him of a son he never knew.
Will Conrad brings the blood and grit with a fantastic coloring job by Juan Ferreyra. The story jumps from the sprawling kingdom of Aquilonia to the deserts of Stygia to the deepest caverns where ancient evil lies dreaming. The emphasis of Lovecraft’s Cthulu Mythos heavily influences Conrad’s vision of the titular god Ra-Sidh summons. Conrad’s art moves effortlessly from the beautiful to the horrible, to the great benefit of the series.
Pick this one up. It’s good stuff for longtime Conan fans and new ones alike.
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