Out this week is Conan Chronicles Epic Collection: Blood In His Wake, the eighth Epic Collection reprinting old Dark Horse comics under the Marvel Comics banner. This collection wraps up Conan the Avenger and collects Conan the Slayer in its entirety. These series marked the end of Dark Horse Comics’ control of the character and the final comics published by them. The original comics collected here were published between 2015 and 2017 which makes them some of the most modern Conan stories to date.
Kicking things off is Conan the Avenger #20-25, which wraps up Fred Van Lente’s miniseries. Be sure to check out my Conan Chronicles Epic Collection: Shadows Over Kush review for an idea of what that story was about up until this collection. This chunk of the story features the resolve of Conan as he’s crucified for a chunk of time to start this section of the story. Much of this story continues to focus on a desert fighting Conan that’s a bit more singular in its approach.
Following these issues are Conan the Slayer #1-12 written by Cullen Bunn. All told, Bunn has a good handle of this character managing to get a lot of fighting in, fantasy elements, and sexual themes. A chunk of the story features the pirate version of Conan, but we also see him at war and fighting in open terrain too.
The story opens with Conan wounded and weakened, forcing him into the band of questionable characters. They are unknown to us and Conan, which means there’s no telling where this story might go. At the same time, Bunn introduces a Conan who’s a bit war-torn and downtrodden. He’s defeated and deflated, and while he’d snap your neck if you give him a reason, his drive and ambition are gone. This is the makings of an interesting and unique sort of story for Conan moving forward.
Dating is different in Cimmeria.
Credit: Marvel
That doesn’t mean he’s a weakling cowering in the corner, however. Bunn makes sure to remind us he’s not only deadly, but cunning and smart too. Bunn drops him in an impossible situation and gives him the chance to prove why he’s the greatest fighter beyond just muscle.
Bunn also explores the thinking process Conan in a variety of scenes. There’s an interesting bit of dialogue that discusses family in a vicious sort of way. It’s exactly what Conan would think in regards to sons and daughters which goes against the leader of a tribe’s ideology. Conflict ensues.
Artist Sergio Davila delivers in the fight scenes with plenty of blood and hacking going on. These scenes show how brutal Conan, and war in general, are with one hell of a sword-in-the-mouth shot in the very first issue that should send shivers down readers’ spines. Davila is also very good at capturing the gore of war as well as a bit of strategy in the fight sequence that shows us Conan can be surprised too. Expect fantasy creatures and magic throughout this miniseries.
In just eight Epic Collections, Marvel has managed to pack nearly all of the comics Dark Horse Comics printed between 2003 and 2018. If you’re a completist, this collection is a no-brainer purchase, plus it has a strong miniseries by Cullen Bunn that contends with some of the best runs on the character to date.
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