THE CIMMERIAN: HOUR OF THE DRAGON #3, from Ablaze Publishing on May 11th, 2022, finds the fiendish followers of Xaltotun losing their feeble grip on authority. Meanwhile, Conan’s role and purpose become clear.
The Details
- Written By: Julien Blondel
- Art By: Valentin Sécher
- Colors By: Valentin Sécher
- Letters By: Dezi Sienty
- Cover Art By: Kalman Andrasofszky (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: May 11, 2022
Was It Good?
If you’re a Conan fan, a pulp adventure fan, or a Robert E. Howard fan, there are not enough good things to say about THE CIMMERIAN: HOUR OF THE DRAGON #3. This issue nails everything that makes Conan an enduring character.
If you’re new to the series, Hour of the Dragon is a straight adaptation of Howard’s story of the same name. Instead of critiquing Blondel’s story (since it’s Howard’s story), we’ll look at the quality of the adaptation.
Blondel successfully distills Hour of the Dragon into the core components that maintain the spirit of the source material while making it work in a visual format. Movie Studios and Streaming services should take note of how to do an adaptation the right way. The dialog is grim and suspenseful. Blondel keeps the pacing even and high to instill a sense of urgency. And the scene transitions flow beautifully. This issue is as near to perfect adaptation as you can get.
Likewise, Sécher’s art is practically flawless in this issue. You could make the case that the art is very dark, but it works to set the grimness and danger of the situations. The artwork is overflowing with heavy dramatic tones through the deep lines in the character designs and heavy shadows.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
To remind yourself how Conan found himself on the run, first read our THE CIMMERIAN: HOUR OF THE DRAGON #2 review.
We begin with Conan spirited away by protectors, Priests of Asura, who know his role in Xaltotun’s plans for world domination. Conan is too precious to fall into the evil sorcerer’s hands. They must find the priest of Set who has the Heart of Ahriman, the source of Xaltotun’s resurrection and power. They must go to Messantia.
Meanwhile, Valerius and his fellow kings grow nervous that Xaltotun has no use for them and will discard them. Now that they have the kingdoms and wealth they wanted, they scheme to dispose of Xaltotun before he can do the same to them. Unfortunately, Xaltotun is not easily disposed of. In exchange for his life, Valerius uses a binding spell to call forth four undead warriors to seek out Conan and return the heart.
Later, Conan encounters the undead warriors but finds himself outmatched as he tumbles off a cliff into the sea. We conclude the issue with a reunion, a rebellion, and an arrival at Khemi.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
THE CIMMERIAN: HOUR OF THE DRAGON #3 is a practically perfect issue in every way. The writing captures the essence of the source material without losing any of the power of drama, and the artist uses deep lines, heavy shadows, and rich textures to portray a dangerous world under the threat of doom.
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