Conan The Slayer #10 - Dark Horse Comics

CONAN THE SLAYER No. 10, June 2017

Selling some 7,520 copies in June 2017, at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”, Issue Ten of “Conan The Slayer” contains a Cullen Bunn storyline which frankly never stops from the moment Jehungir Agha decides to take “ten mighty archers of Khawarizm” on to “the isolated island of Xapur”, up until the book ends with “that inhuman juggernaut”, Khosatral Khel, literally tearing the coastal town lord’s men to pieces with his bare hands. Indeed, such is the velocity of the North Carolina-born writer’s break-neck narrative, that at times it’s hard to momentarily catch one’s own breath before plunging back into either Conan’s desperate, head-long charge through the corridors of the ancient fortress, or the barbarian’s unbelievably bloody battle with a giant deadly fanged snake.

Fortunately however, the American novelist doesn’t simply rely upon a carousel of action-packed set-pieces in order to retell Robert E. Howard’s “The Devil In Iron”, but impressively manages to include plenty of thoroughly enjoyable narration whenever his cast are too busy fighting for their lives to actually produce any dialogue. These insights into the Hyborian Age hero's thought processes are particularly engaging when the Cimmerian finds himself hurriedly bolting the solid steel door shut to the demi-god’s own chambers, and later as he silently pads his way up to a dais with his “eyes glued on the sleeping reptile” whilst searching for a hidden “magic Yuetshi blade that laid Khosatral low once before!”  

Unhappily though, there seems to be little that Bunn can do to improve the likeability of the enslaved Nemedian princess who accompanies the blacksmith’s son throughout almost the entirety of the twenty-two page publication. Open-mouthed with terror and predominantly impotent with fright, Octavia seems to do very little in this tale except hinder the titular character, and even criticises his numerous efforts to keep the “girl” alive, such as when he temporarily befuddles Khel by throwing a tapestry over his head or categorically states she is not to follow him into the lair of an oversized venomous serpent; “Crom! When I tell you to stay put -- stay put!” 

Wonderfully keeping stride with all these scintillating shenanigans is Sergio Fernandez Davila’s lavishly pencilled drawings. The Spaniard’s understanding and ability to sketch surging muscle is really put to the test throughout this comic’s entirety, and although he occasionally seems to struggle with the consistency of Conan’s facial features, there can surely be no doubting the vibrant life which he brings to the two lead combatants as they continually beat away at one another from scene to scene. 

Script: Cullen Bunn, Artist: Sergio Davila, and Colors: Michael Atiyeh