KING CONAN #4 – Review

KING CONAN #4, from Marvel Comics on May 11th, 2022, reveals the final moments between King Conan and his son, Conn, before they parted. Will a father’s hard lesson for his son bear the fruit he desires?

The Details

• Written By: Jason Aaron
• Art By: Mahmud Asrar
• Colors By: Matthew Wilson
• Letters By: VC’s Travis Lanham
• Cover Art By: Mahmud Asrar (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: May 11, 2022

Was It Good?

KING CONAN #4 is the latest success for this series and another feather in the cap of Jason Aaron. This is a great story from cover to cover.

You’d think having an issue that’s almost all dialog and two key action scenes would be boring or at least boring for a Conan comic, but you’d be incorrect in this case. Aaron wisely does what every comic writer should be doing – tell the story through the action.

Here, we get a snippet of a scene involving (former) King Conan escaping the clutches of Princess Prima on the Isle of Death, but most of the issue shows the final moments between father and son before Conan departed his country. Why or how Conan left his home wasn’t clear until now, but there were hints from the prior issues that something terrible happened to cause him to leave. Here, Aaron pulls a bait-and-switch that works in context. the switch is as gratifying as it is heartbreaking, and it adds a strong note to Conan’s mythology.

The switch comes through an unexpected sword battle. You don’t see it coming right away, but when it hits, it makes all the sense in the world. This is layered, emotional storytelling at its best.

Likewise, the art by Asrar, Wilson, and Lanham is exceptional in this issue. Again, the story is told through both the words and the actions in the panel. You can see the art teams using the sword strokes and flying bodies to punctuate the emotional beats as Conan struggles with the choices he makes.

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]

If you don’t recall where we left Conan on that wretched island, first read our KING CONAN #3 review.

We begin with the end of the last meeting between King Conan and Prince Conn as the young prince is banished from the kingdom until he learns the ways of the world. King Conan is adamant that a sheltered life brought up in a protected castle has left Conn too soft to ascend to the throne. Conn, however, won’t leave without a fight.

Now, Princess Prima orders Thoth-Amon and Conan thrown into the Maw of Nails. As the red apes approach to do the deed, wizard and warrior fight for their lives, escaping down the nearby tunnels. After a short while, the duo pauses and declares a grudging truce to aid each other until they can escape the island.

Previously, Conn draws his sword, determined to defy King Conan’s order of banishment. We conclude the issue with recordkeeping, a recognition that a king’s role is to serve, and the acceptance of banishment.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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