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.

Sweet Tooth #10
Written and Drawn by: Jeff Lemire
Colors by: Jose Villarubia
Letters by: Pat Brosseau
Vertigo Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 2, 2010

I am continually drawn into Jeff Lemire‘s genius mysteries for tons of reasons. One of those reasons is compelling characters as seen in previous issues of Sweet Tooth with Jeopard and also his series Essex County. Another big reason is the aforementioned mystery best seen in this issue, Sweet Tooth #10, and also his series The Nobody that gives me something rarely attempted in comics, a serious science fiction story.

I have become captivated with all aspects of the story especially the mystery of Gus and this “infection.” How can you not feel for Jeopard and Gus at this point as well? I am rooting for both characters as well as hating these scientists for their cruelty. The problem with hating them though is not knowing how they got to where they are now, especially if they have to continuously watch people die and all they really want, from what we can see, is to cure this infection.