This is Conan at his best, where he's roughest around the edges, and letterers Richard Starkings and Comicraft box every line of Conan’s dialogue into misshapen, block-like bubbles just to show that he sounds more awesome than everyone else. It’s a nice, little cue that heightens the imagination while reading.

Here, we find Conan coming from a massacre. He was the only survivor on the losing side. Wounded, he makes his way across the desert, the winning team tracking him. One should know never to corner a wounded Conan. Violence and bloodletting follow before Conan wanders into a village and finally passes out.

Cullen Bunn is having an extraordinary time here, and Sergio Davila (artist) clearly relishes the chance to play in this sandbox. This is a world of great warriors with the most violent measures speaking the loudest.

But, this Conan is also world-weary and somber. There is the melancholy of defeat in his eyes. His humanity is bared in finely tuned moments. There is a vulnerability somewhere in there.

I love this kind of story, and I love Cullen Bunn’s work. So far, it’s a perfect pairing.



*Today is the final day to pre-order Conan the Slayer #1 at your local comic book shop with order code MAY160016.