Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Conan the Barbarian #2
Marvel Comics
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Mahmud Asrar
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Letters by Travis Lanham
As a group of natives stalk and hunt a panther through the woods, they don’t realize that they are being hunted as well. Conan has been sent to clear the forest of the savage tribes who have been killing local settlers and when he dispatches the warriors, he finds himself face to face with a bigger threat in the form of giant ghost snakes.
After a bloody battle, Conan finds himself being healed by a Shaman and among the very people he has been sent to slaughter. With the threat of more snakes encroaching on the forest, Conan agrees to help the tribe as payback for saving his life. As he lives and battles alongside the tribesman, the barbarian begins to see them in a different way and the village Shaman implores the warrior to stay because of an ominous future he sees for the Cimmerian.
It’s a fine line to travel when you try to infuse a Conan story with a message, but Jason Aaron makes this one work by allowing the character to discover the truth beyond his prejudices as well as showing the reader that he does have them. He is a product of his times and his environment and being a barbarian doesn’t allow for the kind of nuanced thinking that modern sensibilities tend to demand. That being said, Conan’s journey among the Picts is interesting and entertaining, but can fall into cliché at times. The white man among the “savages” storyline isn’t a unique one, but this issue does work in relation to the character of Conan. It comes together more towards the end when the barbarian returns to “society” and feels that things are different within himself.
Mahmud Asrar’s art is astounding. There is both beauty and savagery in every page and Asrar finds the perfect balance between the two in the issue.
Conan the Barbarian #2
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