Conan & Dragonero - Volume 01 Issue 05

My Rating

“Part V: Ice & Flames – Chapter Two”

Conan lands the killing blow, burying his weapon deep into the ancient Dragon of Earth. A horrendous death wail rings across the Margondar Mountains as the wounded beast collapses against the frozen landscape. With the creature finally dying, the Cimmerian stalks toward its massive carcass. Somewhere beneath those scales and blood-soaked flesh are the magical gems of Aquilonia. Conan intends to retrieve them.

Dragonero has other plans.

The Erondàrian warrior calls out for Conan to stop. Among the Dragon Hunters of ages past, an ancient protocol demands mercy for a creature entering its final moments. Death is part of the natural order, and even a beast such as this deserves the proper rites before passing from the world.

Conan has little patience for ceremony. The gems have already been swallowed by the monster, and the Barbarian intends to cut them from its flesh before anything else can happen. Before Dragonero can complete the proper death ritual, however, a violent wave of energy erupts from the dragon’s crest. Sorcery!

Within seconds, the freezing winds of the Margondar Mountains disappear. Conan and Dragonero are no longer surrounded by snow-covered peaks and ancient stone. Heat beats down upon them from a blazing sun while endless sand stretches toward the horizon. Conan recognizes this miserable place all too well.

Somehow, sorcery has transported the two warriors to the scorching deserts of Shem!

Will the two dragon slayers retrieve the magical gems before the predators of the desert make off with their prize? Why do the inhabitants of a Shemite oasis tremble at the mere mention of a mysterious local tribe? And who is the man known as Natohk the Veiled One?

Collect the series to find out!

“One Artist, Two Worlds”

This month, Titan Comics brings readers a fantastic interview with artist Lorenzo Nuti, giving fans a chance to step behind the curtain and meet one of the creative talents responsible for bringing Conan and Dragonero to life. After several issues filled with ancient dragons, clashing swords, strange worlds, and larger-than-life fantasy action, it is always interesting to hear directly from the artist responsible for putting those incredible images on the printed page.

Nuti’s artwork has become one of the visual highlights of the series. His ability to capture the raw power of Conan while blending the Cimmerian’s Hyborian Age with the fantasy world of Dragonero gives this crossover its own distinctive identity. The interview provides a welcome break from the main adventure and allows readers to learn more about the artist behind all that sword-swinging, dragon-slaying madness.

For readers who enjoy the additional material Titan Comics continues to include alongside its Conan stories, the Lorenzo Nuti interview is another nice bonus. I have always enjoyed these behind-the-scenes features, especially when they shine a spotlight on the artists responsible for transforming the words of the writers into the fantastic worlds we see on the page.

Review

This is easily my favorite issue of Conan and Dragonero so far. After reading the previous chapter, I was certain Stefano Vietti and Luca Enoch had nowhere left for our heroes to explore. They had already thrown Conan and Dragonero against an ancient Dragon of Earth in the frozen Margondar Mountains. Where could the adventure possibly go from there?

Boy, was I wrong.

With one blast of sorcery, the writers completely change the direction of the story. We leave the world of Dragonero behind and return to Conan’s Hyborian Age, dropping our heroes into the scorching deserts of Shem. Better yet, longtime Robert E. Howard fans receive one juicy callback with the appearance of Natohk the Veiled One. Now we’re talking! Suddenly this crossover feels less like Conan visiting somebody else’s fantasy world and more like Dragonero has been thrown headfirst into the Cimmerian’s backyard.

The connection also brought back memories of the classic Savage Sword of Conan material originally produced by Marvel Comics. Readers following Titan’s Savage Sword of Conan: Reforged editions should recognize some familiar territory here. I love when a modern Conan adventure reaches into the character’s long history without allowing nostalgia to completely overwhelm the story being told. It rewards longtime readers while keeping the adventure moving forward.

Lorenzo Nuti’s artwork continues to be one of the strongest elements of the series. The transition from the frozen mountains to the blazing deserts gives him an entirely different playground, and the change of scenery breathes some much-needed fresh air into the adventure. After feeling that issue #4 came up a little short on meaningful story progression, issue #5 delivers exactly what I wanted: a major change in direction, a classic Hyborian connection, and one hell of a hook for the next chapter.

This is the issue that finally has me anxious to see where Conan and Dragonero goes next.

I give this story a rock-solid four out of five stars!