Rant Review: Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus vol 9

I've been buying all of the omnibus collections Marvel has published since reacquiring (and since relinquishing) the Conan license, and enjoyed all of them, to one degree or another. Volume 9 may seem like an odd place to begin reviewing this series, but I've seen very few reviews of this book online, so I figured I'd contribute one to help anyone who may be on the fence about this one to decide whether or not it's worth adding to their collection. 

We're nearly at the finish line, but there's a rather sizeable stumbling block in the way. But just how high is that hurdle? The issues reprinted in this volume have a reputation as the absolute nadir of the entire original Marvel run of Conan, so I was interested to read them for the first time to see just how bad things got. The book is fairly strong as it kicks off, with Val Semeiks continuing his run, now co-plotting with Charles Santino. These stories are all single issue adventures depicting Conan as an unstoppable force, charging ahead relentlessly as he deals with any obstacles in his path in the most direct manner possible. These issues are fast-paced and action-packed, with energetic art by Semeiks and the legendary Alfredo Alcala providing appropriately detailed and hard-edged visuals. My favorites are #215, in which a group of Turanian soldiers very quickly learn the perils of trying to take a Cimmerian captive; #218, which follows Conan's battle for survival on a small island populated by hostile visitors; and #219, which relates Conan's efforts to escape a city on horseback. These stories are fun reads, and very entertaining, but I wouldn't want an extended run of such short, disconnected stories.

Then, we get an extended run of such short, disconnected stories, as the Semeiks/Santino team leave the book, and the editors burn through a bunch of inventory issues. We get stories by Larry Hama, Don Perlin, Michael Fleisher, and Gerry Conway. Most of these are decent stories that neither excel nor offend, though I found Conway's trio of two-parters rather tiresome. Hama's pair of done-in-one stories were probably my favorites from this batch, with "Drum Song," a tale of Conan's pirate days narrated in verse, a particular standout. There is some nice art to be found among these issues, including one fully illustrated by Alcala. Still, I was ready for the series to have some sense of direction again long before I reached the end of these short, mostly single issue tales.

That new direction kicked off in issue #232, and I wanted to slap myself for willingly inflicting this calamity on my battered psyche. "The New Conan," as it was billed, travels to a time prior to the legendary Cimmerian's birth, and covers the years leading up to his Marvel debut back in 1970. Writer Michael Higgins and Jim Lee contribute a very nice cover evoking the beloved BWS style, and the run peaks right there. Bad comics can be fun-- witness the gut-bustingly funny trainwreck of Batman: Odyssey, for example-- but these are just bad in all the right ways to make them painful to slog through. A prime example is their depiction of the siege of Venarium, a legendary event in the Hyborian world, one which showed all of the "civilized" kingdoms that the Cimmerians were NOT TO BE MESSED WITH. Here, it's reduced to a magical mishap in which the Cimmerians are barely a factor. This is emblematic of this run's poor understanding of Conan's world, not to mention the man himself. The first four issues have art by Ron Lim, and his style is really not a good fit for Conan and his world. The art improves after he leaves, particularly with #236's Rodney Ramos/Alfredo Alcala team-up, and we get a couple of very nice covers by Mike Mignola. Even so, these issues are tough to get through. Sales must not have been good, as this "bold new direction" was euthanized by a returning Roy Thomas after just nine issues. He wraps it up and accounts for its various problems in about the best way possible, setting the stage for his series-finale run, collected in the next volume.

There isn't much in the way of bonus material, but that's hardly surprising, so late in the run. The introductions are the main draw on that front, and they offer a few nice tidbits. The intro by Higgins is particularly interesting, revealing some of the thinking behind the "young Conan" run. I recommend this book for big Conan fans, but only if you can get it at a significant discount, or borrow it from your local library. Just be aware going in that you're not getting the series at its best, adjust your expectations accordingly, and you'll find some fun material among the dreck.

I'm currently working my way through volume 10, and enjoying it quite a bit more. I'll probably whip up a review about it as well, once I'm done with it. I may go back and review the earlier volumes, if there's any demand for it. Everyone take care, and I'll see you next time!