In Review: Conan the Barbarian #14

Synopsis: AFTER LEAVING CIMMERIA FILLED WITH WANDERLUST, A YOUNG CONAN HEADS NORTH IN SEARCH OF GLORY.

What he finds in that cold climate will change his outlook forever, setting him on the path that will make him a legend.

The Story

After having left his home to discover the world in the last issue Conan finds himself the object of curiosity when he is attacked by some Vanir clansmen.  As Conan is about to get the better of them a Vanir rider stops the fight and invites Conan to aid them for one week in their hunting expedition in exchange for his freedom. Conan accepts this offer, but soon finds himself drawn into a battle with some Aesir soldiers who have destroyed a Vanir settlement.

Watching from the shadows is a Norse Goddess who is starting to take an interest in the fate of Conan as he charges forth with the Vanir into battle.

The Artwork

Doug Braithwaite does a brilliant job of the artwork in this book. Firstly, I loved how well-drawn the Goddess was as she watched on from the shadows. The way in which the light is used to highlight her features really adds a fun impression of mystery to her character. Also, the burning village that Conan comes across later in the book is brilliantly done. So much so that it was nearly photo-realistic without being so.

Overall

Thus far I have enjoyed this story arc and appreciate how Jim Zub is adding a little bit of Norse mythology to the pot. I also like how this story is giving us a slightly younger version of our favorite Barbarian than the one we have seen in previous issues. It will be fascinating to find out what this strange goddess wants from Conan in the next few books as I suspect she might well be Freyja who was the Norse Goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death.