Adventure tales. [The Cimmerian, Vol. 1 by Jean-David Morvan, Régis Hautière, etal]
In Queen of the Black Coast, Conan seeks refuge on a merchant ship, after being pursued for killing a judge. But soon after setting sail, the Cimmerian and his new companions face a threat: the legendary Belit, self-proclaimed Queen of the Black Coast! Soon finding himself smitten by the lovely Belit, Conan agrees to joins up with her and her crew to brutally pillage and sail the poisonous river Zarkheba, encountering ancient ruins, lost treasure, and winged, vicious monstrosities!
In Red Nails, Conan finds himself in the Darfar region, whose territory is almost entirely covered by a huge forest. Here Conan pledges himself a mercenary, promising his sword to the highest bidder, fighting alongside fellow mercenary and fierce female warrior Valeria. After a clash against a terrible dragon, the two go to a strange fortified city, apparently deserted...but the duo will quickly discover that a civilization lives hidden inside, and that the citadel hides a heavy secret.
I know of Robert E. Howard's Conan from the Schwarzenegger films. That whole sword and sorcery art style that was especially popular in the '80s and '90s is what comes to mind. The strong, scantily clad female warrior who is at once a bastion of strength and skill but also willing to submit sexually and romantically to the strong alpha male. Eye roll.
The description for this volume of graphic novel adaptation of Howard's stories kept insisting that it was bringing unrestrained! and uncensored! violence and sexuality, which to my mind was confusing because the movies are already pretty graphic. And in that sense the volume did nothing out of the ordinary. I've seen worse. But to its credit the volume does include the full texts of Howard's stories, each appearing after the panel adaptations, adding a new depth to the illustrated renderings. Actually, the stories maybe read worse than the dialogue included in the illustrations, dialogue which was often too verbose.
The weird Western, sometimes colonial themes of Howard's stories (which I know feel way too versed with) are innate to his material, not the adaptation. But they still made me uncomfortable. Would I recommend this? Probably not, but I would consider reading following volumes if they were just lying around. Illustrated by Alary Pierre, Olivier Vatine, and Didier Cassegrain, with Jean-David Morvan and Régis Hautière adapting the stories of Robert E. Howard, The Cimmerian, Vol. 1 gets 3 stars from me.
The Cimmerian, Vol. 1 is due for publication January 05, 2021.
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