| 
A Key West Bed and Breakfast....
Boasting an incomparable location at the midpoint of Duval Street, The Tropical Inn is a quiet and private island compound. You might walk down Key West's most famous promenade a hundred times and not notice this romantic hideaway, tucked unassumingly away just steps from all the bustle and excitement |
|
|
| The Chronicles Of Conan Volume 9: Riders Of The River-Dragons And Other Stories (Chronicles of Conan (Graphic Novels)) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Val Mayerik
Publisher: Dark Horse
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $6.12
You Save: $10.83 (64%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 474902
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 6.5 x 0.3
ISBN: 1593073941
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781593073947
ASIN: 1593073941
Publication Date: January 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 | | NEXT » |
 Finally! The covers are included! November 23, 2008
There's not much I can add to what's already been written in other reviews of this series, so I'll limit myself to one remark. The cover of an adventure comic book, illustrating a specific story presented within, is an essential part if that story. Its purpose is not only to make a potential buyer pick up the issue in the store and - hopefully - buy it; it is also an introductory image, a glimpse of the action-to-come and intended to set the mood before the reader even glances at the opening page of the story. The omission of the original covers has been my main objection to this otherwise impressive series and while I'm happy Dark Horse has now decided to include them here in volume 15, it's too late. In my personal opinion, we are now past the grandest stories of the run, most notably the "Queen of the Black Coast" sequence reprinted in volumes 8-12, and with this volume we've also reached the end of Roy Thomas' impressive run of scripts. That said, the stories are not at all bad and John Buscema's artwork, which constitutes most of the volume, is wonderful to behold. With the inclusion of the covers, it's the complete packaging I had wished to see when I first opened volume 1.
 It's all downhill from here March 16, 2008
12 out of 17 found this review helpful
After the departure of the brilliant Barry Windsor Smith, Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" reached its artistic peak during the "Queen of the Black Coast" story arc which began with issue 58 and ended with issue 100 (COC volumes 8-12). Following the death of Belit, the series started a steady decline which kicked into overdrive with the departure of Roy Thomas. This volume collects the last of the Roy Thomas stories. I wish I could say that he went out with a bang. Sadly, the quality of the stories here ranges from mediocre to just plain awful. You can't really blame Roy too much. Most of the hardcore REH material was being published in the adult oriented "Savage Sword of Conan" magazine, there was the comics code to deal with, and after the Belit story arc was finished, I guess he was having a hard time coming up with new and exciting stories that rose to the same level of his previous efforts.
The first story "Moon Eaters of Darfar", is okay, as it provides a link to the REH's "Man Eaters of Zamboula" and "Servants of Bit Yakin". I really hate sidekicks, though, and the little Stygian sorceror Erfu is just horrible, and it doesn't make sense for Conan to ally himself with him. Conan hates sorcery, and most of the original stories center around him battling one sorceror or another. Stygian sorcerors, even minor ones, derive their power from Set, the evil serpent god of the Hyborian age. To make Conan's sidekick a junior sorceror makes about as much sense as teaming Indiana Jones up with a member of the Hitler youth.
Sadly, he remains with Conan through several more issues. Next up, an adaption of "Sons of the Bear God", by Norvel Page. Apparently, this was a novel whose main character is a Conan clone; so close in fact that Thomas just changed it into a Conan story. And its bad, really, really mind-numbingly bad, and it goes on for four issues. Of course, its just my opinion. If you like midgets and giant bears, then maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did. It's really hard to take seriously when legions of midgits rush at Conan to be slaughtered one after another while shouting, "The overtall oaf thinks himself our equal! We'll soon show him where he's erred!" It comes off like a Monty Python skit.
This is the Hyborian Age, not Middle Earth. There's a reason REH's world isn't populated with cute little creatures like Hobbits and Dwarves. REH's world is about barbarism vs. civilization, and about survival of the fittest. Dwarves have no place in it.
"The Devil in the Family" is another really lame story, this one involving the son of a demon. Yawn. At least Conan got rid of his annoying sidekick. "Shadow of the Beast" starts out promising, but quickly sinks when Conan goes up against...are you ready...a talking dog. I'm not kidding. Apparently this was "freely adapted" from an non-Conan REH story. Conan fans are used to him battling formidible foes, such as giant snakes and Lovecraftian horrors. Talking dogs just don't rise to that same level. As you'll read in the Afterword by Thomas, even he acknowledges how lame this story turned out.
Roy's final issue, 115, is a double sized issue with special guest star Red Sonja. I wish I could say it was great, but its pretty lame as well. Fans will note that the film "Conan the Destroyer" borrows a plot device directly from this story. However, the plot device was lame and definately not in character for Conan. It doesn't work in either medium.
When I was a small boy I used to subscribe to CTB. Shortly after Roy Thomas left, I let my subscription run out. Now I remember why. Thanks for the memories, Dark Horse.
I gave it three stars because the artwork by John Buscema and Ernie Chan is breathtaking, as always. If you're a sentimental collector like me, you'll want this as part of your collection. However, for the quality of the stories themselves, I can't recommend it. You're better off buying the new Dark Horse series, or the "Savage Sword" reprints. Better yet, forsake graphic novels altogether and just read Robert E. Howard.
 superior February 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This entire series of reproductions of the classic Conan comics from the 1960s and 1970s is superior. The details are incredible and the colors are more vivid than in the originals and the paper quality is superior and you will not have to worry about preservation. A great substitute for the originals ( and more affordable).
BELIT'S FINAL ADVENTURE November 5, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Dark Horse continues its re-printing of Marvel's Conan the Barbarian series with Chronicles of Conan Volume 12. This trade paperback collects issues #91, and 93 to 100 of the original Conan series as Conan concludes his travels along the Black Coast kingdoms of the south and has to cope with the death of his beloved mate, Belit, Queen of the Black Coast. The Belit saga was certainly the longest of Conan's career, at least as far as comics go, beginning a few years earlier in Conan #57.
You have to give Roy Thomas a lot of credit. With this stretch of some forty issues over three years, Thomas managed to keep the stories fresh and exciting. Outside of only R.E. Howard himself, he is the best Conan writer ever. One of the things that Thomas did so well was to take many of Howard's non-Conan Stories and turn them into Conan stories. An example of this is found in Conan #99, "Devil Crab of the Dark Cliffs". This is adapted from the Howard tale "The People of the Black Coast" although the black coast of that story is not the same of the Conan tales. Howard was nothing if not pragmatic and he often re-used plots and character names freely. Thomas is pretty hard on this story in the commentary section at the end of the book and didn't think it worked very well.
It certainly doesn't have the feeling of complete helplessness that the original story had. In that story a lone man battles off wave after wave of giant crabs before finally, and inevitably succumbing to their vast numbers. Here, Conan, Belit, and several of their warriors find an abandoned Argossean ship along the black cliffs far to the south. They go ashore to explore the mysterious site and find a race of giant, intelligent crabs who have the crew of the Argossean ship held prisoner. Conan, Belit, and their crew have to free them from their prison and battle their way through a horde of devil crabs back to their ship. Thomas has a point with his criticism of the story...upright walking crabs looked just a little too ridiculous and one can make the easy assumption that artist John Buscema just wanted to get this issue done as fast as possible.
The final story from Conan #100 features the death of Belit. She is killed by a winged ape, a descendant of a once powerful race of winged men, which degenerated into bestial forms when their civilization collapsed. This is one of the very few times we see Conan mourn. Thomas would employ elements from this story into the first Conan movie. When he is helpless before the winged ape, the spirit of Belit appears to aid him, just as the spirit of Valeria did in the film.
The real bonus to the Chronicles of Conan is the commentary by Roy Thomas at the end of the book as he shares his thoughts on each of the stories. He has such a special bond for the character that I could listen to him all day discuss plots and whys and hows...
REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON
Conan's Last Adventures Before Belit October 15, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Dark Horse's reproduction of Roy Thomas's Conan in the form of The Chronicles of Conan are a real festival not just for for Conan fans, but for graphics novels' readers as well. My favorites are the issues that have John Buscema and Ernie Chan art with Roy Thomas's writing (volumes 5 thru 13). Each volume contains around 6 to 8 issues.
Volume 7 "The Dweller in the Pool" shows the last adventures of Conan before he is accompanied by Belit. What is more, Red Sonja receives a lion's share as co-star.
John Buscema gives us Conan as we have always loved him, brawny, raw, self-confident and down-to-earth. Red Sonja is drawn as a counterpart to Conan. The firey red head is sexy and intimidating at the same time. Buscema manages to give us this combination perfectly with strong contour lines that contrast with feminine details.
Characterization is the strong point in this volume. Thomas highlights Red Sonja's complexities. She is undoubetedly strongly attracted to Conan but her mistrust of men remains stronger. Her independence echoes a rising feminism that seems to have unsettled the machismo Robert E. Howard instilled in his fiction. In the Conan-Sonja advntures, barabarian man and woman are on equal footing. One of my favorite scenes is when Red Sonja knocks Conan unconscious after he has saves her and runs away. She does not want to feel weaker than him, grateful to him or dependent on him.
It is such psychological depth that takes the Chronicles of Conan above most Sword and Sorcery fiction. This is not just the stereotype slay'em all blood and gore. The realistic streak of characterization, both in writing and drawing, makes these volumes unique.
|
|
|
Powered by Our Keywest | |
