King Conan #1
Written by Timothy Truman
Art by Tomas Giorello
Colors by Jose Villarrubia
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Cover by Gerald Parel
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: May 29, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

King Conan #1 is, well, charming. I’m afraid that’s the only way I can describe it. Yes, it has the usual Conan trademarks in it: sorcery, swords, fighting, blood, betrayal, and all those things, but at its heart, it’s just a charming comic book.

Writer Tim Truman puts together a great tale set many years later in Conan’s life. But, in classic Truman style, this is just the framing sequence for the REAL story that he’s telling. One of how Conan met his first wife, who would later become his first Queen. And that’s when the fun starts. Again, he throws everything that you’d expect and want in a Conan story, and actually, some pretty nice swerves and surprises. There was a couple of places that I got lost in the story, but that was only for about half a page at most at a time, then Truman comes right back in and tell the ready “Hey, look! Here’s where you are!” which is great. This is the kind of comic that you’ll probably want to read more than once, just to get every detail that you can out of it. This is one of Truman’s best Conan stories in years, and it’s just the opening chapter.

Once again, Dark Horse Comics has given Geeks of Doom exclusive access to five great new comics coming in May and June. And you know what? We want to give you a sneak peek, too! Because trust me, these are some great books here. Check out all five covers here below!

First off, releasing on May 29, is King Conan: Hour of the Dragon #2 (of 6). This second installment in the adaptation of Robert E. Howard‘s only actual Conan novel is sure to please. I know the cover by Gerald Parel definitely gets you interested with that vicious claw reaching forth towards our hero. Then, just in case you didn’t get your Cimmerian fix with that one, we have Conan the Barbarian #17 arriving on June 19 with a wonderful aquatic cover by Massimo Carnevale (I loved his Orchid covers, too).

But the big release day is June 26! Showing off the Shu Yan cover to Akaneiro #2 (of 3), I find myself really interested in this set. Look how kickass she looks! Remember, this is based upon the new release from Spicy Horse Games (be sure to check that out, too). Next up is a comic that originally debuted in Dark Horse Presents: Amala’s Blade #3 (of 4) has a very eye-catching cover from Michael Dialynas. Although I know next to nothing about this miniseries, the sheer quantity of skulls in the art gets my attention. And last, but certainly not least, we get to show you Mind MGMT #12. MTV Geek named this comic one of the top ten comics in 2012. I’m impressed with this series across the board, especially since Matt Kindt is the only person working on this book…yeah, that’s right, he does it all!

A big thanks to Dark Horse for letting us have first crack at these wonderful comics. But enough from me, here is YOUR first look:

King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel
Written by Timothy Truman
Art by Tomas Giorello
Colors by Jose Villarubia
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Chapter-Break Art by Darick Robertson with colorists Dave Stewart and Richard Clark
Cover by Gerald Parel
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Cover Price: $14.99

By Crom, finally a tale worthy of a king! King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel is a compilation of the four-issue mini-series of the same name. This is a story from Conan’s later years retold in glorious fashion. And for the first time we hear the tale directly from the Cimmerian himself.

We start the story with Conan relaxing on his throne as the King of Aquilonia. A young scribe, Pramis, is tasked with chronicling the exploits of the famous monarch for the kingdom’s libraries. Once convinced to share some of his history, Conan settles in to tell the story of his capture by the evil sorcerer, Tsotha-Lanti. Imprisoned beneath the Scarlet Citadel, the captured barbarian is quick to realize that he is not meant to survive his stay in the dungeon.