Reviews (19)

Bargain Purchase, Thick Volume Of Classics In One Place
This series is a great buy for those who want to read classic stories but do not want to shell out the big bucks for Masterworks editions or originals. Each book offers about 20 issues of continuity in a single volume. This is a great book detailing the original X-Men, how they came to be, and their earliest encounters with some of their deadliest foes. The characters are developed nicely early on, especially the intellectual Beast and moody Cyclops. The Juggernaut, third Magneto, and Sentinal storylines are quite exciting, especially with the X-Men on the ropes. These stories are from a simpler time but they are a lot of fun. Hopefully, Marvel will continue this series and explore more of the original X-Men, and possibly the Frank Miller Daredevil run, the Simonson Thor series, and more Avengers.

Going back to the basics
Marvel gets lots of flak for the format of their Essential editions: I can agree with the mid-stream format change - just like the Masterworks, you have to start over if you want a uniform set. I can also agree with the flimsy paper, to a degree, as it tears easily during the binding process. The ink bleed results in ghost images on facing pages. And the lack of color leaves out some of the visual appeal. Yet, with all of this, I still LOVE this line, as it is hands-down the cheapest way to educate yourself on the Silver Age of Marvel Comics. I will gladly pay the low price for these 500-page books!

Anyway, on to the meat of this volume: Uncanny X-Men #1 - 24, by Lee, Kirby, Thomas, Gavin, et al. I guess most folks today prefer post-Giant-Size-X-Men, but whatever your preference, check out this book, as this is where it all began! These stories are from the early '60s, so of course the dialogue is cheesy; of course the characterizations are stereotyped; but by gum, you just can't get innovative stories like this anymore. Here we have the original X-Men, as kids no less, setting the stage for the uneasy coexistence of humanity and mutants. It's super-hero action combined with teen angst, and some little oddities that, to my knowledge, were not carried into later issues (Professor X loves teen-age Jean Grey? Eeeugh!). Featured villains include, in their first appearances, Magneto, the Blob, the Vanisher, Unus, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Juggernaut, the Sentinels, Lucifer, Mimic, and the Stranger, plus a few others I won't mention. Plus, you get a great Kirbyesque cover by Bruce Timm (this guy should do all of the covers for Kirby's reprints).

The Marvel Essentials line is one of the best bargains in comics. Why not fill your shelves with them?

Graphic novels are great, but...
I love graphic novels as much as the next collector and have just about everything listed by Amazon. Not exactly everything, but a great percentage. This graphic novels should actually be rated and listed the same as regular novels, because the dynamics of their stories, not just the fantastic artwork, takes you away to places that novels, such as STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, CHILDHOOD'S END, FOUNDATION, RINGWORLD, STAR TREK novels, DARKEYE: CYBER HUNTER and so forth, take you. All are extremely imaginative and have visually-gratifying narrative/dialogue not too far removed from graphic novels such as this or any other. Broaden your minds, but hang on to the graphic novels as well!

The First and Original X-MEN
I am a newcomer to the X-Men mythology, having discovered these unforgettable mutants through the Hugh Jackson films. The films incorporate (and take many liberties with) the 25+ years of the X-Men which has made reading the comics a vastly different (but enjoyable) experience. Here follows a summary of what to expect in volume 1 of THE UNCANNY X-MEN. (Possible spoilers.)

Our superheroes and their lives and powers are varied:

~Robert (Bobby) Drake, Iceman. The youngest member of the group with a sense of humor that compliments that of Hank McCoy's.

~Hank McCoy, Beast. The most intellectual, humorous, and athletic.

~Warren Worthington III, Angel. Wealthy, charismatic, and in love with Jean Grey. He is the one with wings.

~Scott Summers, Cyclops. The most tragic (because of the intense power of his eyes) and the most respected (the deputy leader of the X-Men) and in love with Jean.

~Jean Grey, Marvel Girl. Telekinetic (also telepathic, but that is not revealed in this volume), the only female member, and forced to choose between Scott and Warren.

~Charles Xavier, Professor X. A wheelchair-bound mutant whose telepathic powers make him one of the most formidable and most powerful of all mutants. He not only founded the X-Men and leads them, but created the school Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (where mutants go to learn to control and refine their powers and abilities).

Volume 1 contains issues 1-24. The X-Men fight several of their memorable villians:

~Magneto (The X-Men's archenemy, enough said.)

~Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Mastermind, Toad, and siblings Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) who work for Magneto.

~Juggernaut

~the Sentinels

~Lucifer

~Mimic (who will later become an X-Man)

Other lesser villians include the Stranger, the Vanisher, the Blob, Unus, the Locust and the Submariner.

The X-MEN comics are excellent and thrilling reads, however, the series isn't without its faults (written in the 1960s, the sexism is quite obvious, even if it isn't offensive). However, after reading this, you'll be wanting more---much more.

The Essential series is published only in black and white. There is another series, Marvel Masterworks, which reprints the series in color.

Marvel has yet to publish a follow-up to volume 1 of the Essentials, which is sorely needed as one is left with many unresolved issues that begged to be answered (How do Jean-Scott-Warrren resolve the love triangle? What is Magneto planning next? Will the Locust be back? What happened to Unus and the Blob?)

Whether one is a newcomer to comics or a longtime reader, the X-MEN should not be missed out by anyone!

Good Find
I bought all of these to back track and read the previous things that had happened within the comic. This serves the purpose but was disapointed that they were not in color. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Classic Brought Back To Life
This IS the definitive edition of the Elfquest comics. The color is perfect, and this beautiful hardcover book contains many bonus images and interviews/bios with the creators of the comic. A must have for fans and a great way to introduce someone new to the world of Elfquest.

I can't wait for volume 2!

Don't buy this edition
If you are an Elfquest fan, then I have to say that this is one of the worst values for the money and should be avoided. Elfquest is an old comics standard and this must be the fourth re-colored edition out there. It is also the worst. To describe the work as day-glo would be an understatement and at $50 I can not only say I was utterly disappointed in the quality of the coloring, I did not think the book was value for the money, especially considering the prices one can get on used, earlier editions of the same material. The original Donning colored editions are hand painted and subtle and are classics. This edition has all the earmarks of a beginner at photoshop: it is garish, over-rendered and simply ugly. I am extremely disappointed. I am keeping my Donning editions at hand and do not feel compelled to buy any further EQ editions. After the crashing disappointments of multiple comics reprints in different color editions, then the cheap, tawdry black and white reprints with their muddy execution, I have decided to just retain the first four volumes and not continue with this series which is simply not aging well at all.

To Elfquest fans
If you're one of those readers who grew up with Elfquest and madly collected all the original hardbound color editions (er, like me), you might be asking yourself, "Is it worth it to get the new edition when I've already got the old?"

The answer is abso-freakin-lutely yes. The colors in this are just phenomenal. If you thought Leetah was goregous before, you're gonna be blown away now! And if you ever admired Skywise's smooth chest, wait until you see him in full, vibrant, practically living color. Roooooowr.

Wendy Pini's smooth, professional coloring puts modern day over-coloring, over-glittering to shame. She has the perfect touch, much like an elf who gently molds a tree into a perfect sculpture.

A Fabulous New Version of an Old Favorite
I've been an ElfQuest fan for years (since I was six years old, in fact), and so I've already come to expect the best from EQ. But this new DC edition of book one far exceeded even my expectations and completely blew me away! The new coloring is so rich and fantastic that when I finally closed it, I was a bit disappointed to see the rather drab colors or real life again. Wendy Pini's artwork is so stunning on its own that simple black-and-white would be beautiful, and so when you add in the new colors you end up with dazzelingly brilliant art. And quite besides the pictures, the story is a strong, meaningful, and enduring one that I have loved for as long as I can remember, and which I find a new reason to admire every time I re-read it. If you're an old ElfQuest fan hesitating to buy material you may already have in another edition, I strongly urge you to go for it. This new edition is worth every penny. If you're new to ElfQuest, you couldn't ask for a better introduction. ... Read more

Book Description

The final collection of Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith's seminal run on Conan the Barbarian. As with many collaborations between two extremely talented artists, Thomas and Windsor-Smith were producing the finest work of their careers just as their partnership on Conan came to an end. And like those great collaborations, we're left to wonder, "what if they'd stayed together..." This compilation features two outstanding creators at the top of their game, working on a compelling character whose popularity has never faded. Also included is the first issue of acclaimed artist John Buscema's definitive run. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Barry Windsor-Smith's final and greatest Conan stories
The one substantive complaint about these reprints of the "Conan the Barbarian" comic books that Dark Horse has been reprinting as a prelude to launching their own version of Robert E. Howard's brawling barbarian has been that the original covers drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics have been omitted. That omission is mitigated somewhat by Volume 4 of "The Chronicles of Conan," which has the splash page from "Red Nails" as the cover. I have a strong affection for this particular piece of Windsor-Smith art because my college debate partner took the original black & white drawing from "Savage Tales" and blew it up on a 6-foot board that I have colored in and which has dominated my "office" for about half my life.

This collection has issues #23-26 of Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" and the acclaimed "Red Nails" (For those concerned with continuity #22 is omitted because it was a reprint of #1) Of those two issues, all of which were written by Roy Thomas, Windsor-Smith drew the first two and John Buscema, who would be Conan's artist for most of the rest of its original run, took over as penciler on the last two. The second of those was inked by Ernie Chua (later Ernie Chan), who would be Buscema's primary inker on the comic book (the way Alfredo P. Alcala tended to do the inking over Buscema's pencils in the black & white magazine "The Savage Sword of Conan"). However, the chief attraction here is Windsor-Smith's final work on Conan.

Issue #22 "The Shadow of the Vulture," freely adapted from a Howard short story, is inked by Sal Buscema, Dan Adkins, and Chic Stone. The Vulture is Prince Yezdigerd's right-hand sword, who is sent to dispatch Conan. However, the story is more noted because this is the first Conan adventure with Red Sonja. This sets up #23 "The Song of Red Sonja," which Windsor-Smith inked himself (be sure to read Thomas' reflections in the back of the volume that cover some of the changes the Comics Code forced them to make with the artwork). When you compare how far Windsor-Smith came from the first issue of "Conan," let alone the infamous "X-Men" #53 that he drew on a New York City park bench, it is amazing how far he came as an artist. "Red Nails" has more scope and Thomas and Windsor-Smith are unfettered by the Comics Code, but all things considered "The Song of Red Sonja" is the best of their joint efforts. This explains why it gets to be the title for this final volume.

The Buscema issues are included, rather than whatever odds and ends Smith ever did of Conan and Howard related stories, because they finish the siege of Makkalet story line. Issue #25 "The Mirrors of Kharam Akkad," inked by Sal Buscema and John Severin (the latter does the King Kull flashback pages in a nice touch), is inspired in part by Howard's "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" story, another one of those stories where a sorcerer tries to get the better of Conan. In #26 "The Hour of the Griffin" the city finally falls and Conan tries to save Queen Melissandra. Conan's big fight is with a giant rat, which is not exactly a big thrill, but he does get to see the face of the one true Tarim, the reason for the war.

Buscema's Conan is a larger, more muscular version of the barbarian than what we saw with Windsor-Smith's art, which I always read as representing the fact he was a more mature character at that point. One of the interesting aspects of this final collection of early Conan stories is that the remastered color better suits the Windsor-Smith artwork. I know that part of why this works is that these stories are reprinted on much better quality paper in these volumes and that another key part is that this sort of thing is now done with computers, but Windsor-Smith's attention to detail in his drawings really gives the colorist something with which to work. Just look at the intricate lines on the shield on that great cover. Besides, now that we have this four-volume set of "The Chronicles of Conan" we can enjoy these classic comic books without having to take them out of the plastic that is keeping them safe for posterity. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When Brant and Charlene wreck their car in a horrible snowstorm in the middle of nowhere, the only place they can find shelter is a mysterious little inn called World's End. Here they wait out the storm and listen to stories from the many travelers also stuck at this tavern. These tales exemplify Neil Gaiman's gift for storytelling--and his love for the very telling of them. This volume has almost nothing to do with the larger story of the Sandman, except for a brief foreshadowing nod. It's a nice companion to the best Sandman short story collection, Dream Country, (and it's much better than the hodgepodge Fables and Reflections). World's End works best as a collection--it's a story about a story about stories--all wrapped up in a structure that's clever without being cute, and which features an ending nothing short of spectacular. --Jim Pascoe ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Eclectic Entertaining and Engaging Short Fiction by a Master
I guess one would be extremely hard pressed to choose which of the Sandman collections can be considered the best, but I'm going to choose this one. I'm a little biased, because it was these stories which hooked me on the Sandman when the series was still being published in the early 90s. Gaiman is an intensely storyteller with a wide bredth of mythology at his command which he weaves together in the individaul issues reprinted in this collection. The artwork but such luminaries like Mike Allred of later Madman fame (in the mesmerizing story "Prez") enhance the spellbinding words that Gaiman has meticulously crafted for the right affect.

The Sandman is best appreciated when read it order the magazine was publihsed, which is difficult to do in the TPB and hardcover editions because some of the stories are reprinted thematically, not sequentially. However, if you are not sure who you will respond to Gaiman, Dream and the rest of the Endless this edition will give you a satisfying glimpse of not just great comic storytelling, but great storytelling. I wouldn't call this fantasy, nor would I dismiss this as "a mere comic book." Gaiman helped elevate the medium with his creation, all fans of the written word and graphic art will enjoy this and all the volumes in the Sandman collection.

Touches of Sandman
This is not a Dream-centered books, you crazy women who are, admit it, a little stuck on the Sandman. This is a book about dreams...the lives, in essence, that he touches. He pops up in various places along the way, but this is more a collection of short stories. Two travelers get lost in a snowstorm in June and find their way to an inn of all worlds. Creatures from various times and places, caught up in the "reality storm" have come to this place for food and drink and rest from the icy storm, including Clurachan (sp?), a favorite faerie hedonist from other installments in the Sandman series.

My favorite story is inarguable "A Tale of Two Cities" when a very average man with a very normal job and a great love of his city finds himself, after falling asleep in the subway (see if you can't connect to an interest in subways overall by Gaiman in his book "Neverwhere"), that he has fallen into a dream of the city. Cities dream as do people...anyone who has traveled extensively knows that cities do have their own personalities. New Orleans feels nothing like New York, etcetera. He searches for months trying to find an exit from the dream of the city, only to find temptation to stay.

All of the stories are entertaining, but this one sticks out the most in my mind. I have a great love of cities, especially New York, and I can only imagine what she dreams.

A dark shadow plagues the end of "World's End"...a funeral procession...who this funeral procession is for, well...call it foreshadowing.

Gaiman does Chaucer
Like Fables and Recollections and Dream Country, World's End is a collection of individual stories that have little do with the Sandman arc. Unlike its predecessors, however, there is greater continuity between the stories, negating the impressions I had (particularly in Dream Country), that Gaiman just threw together a bunch of cool - but unrelated- ideas and constructed a book. The stories within World's End are all linked to a singular event: travelers gathering 'round and exchanging their weirdest, most interesting tales (admittedly, an almost done-to-death literary device). Gaiman breathes new life into this convention by inserting a dizzying amount of layers into the storytelling function. In a wonderfully witty Introduction, Stephen King compares the collection to "nested Chinese boxes:" stories existing within stories within stories. Gaiman really flexes his writing muscles here, constructing highly imaginative parallel universes that eerily mirror our own world (fans of Gaiman will note that "A Tale of Two Cities" borrows heavily from the essay he wrote for the SIMCITY 2000 game). He also inserts his most shocking plot twist to date at the end of the book, which forms the basis of the last two books on the Sandman collection and is guaranteed to pique the continued interest of the Sandman readership.

I really enjoyed the diversity of the art; to note, the visually arresting rectangular and vertically arranged panels done by Alec Stevens in the aforementioned lead story "A Tale of Two Cities;" John Watkiss' crispness and use of clean lines; the tasteful, subdued tones of Michael Zulli and frequent Sandman collaborator Dick Giordano in "Hob's Leviathan."

My only wish would have been for the book to be a little longer. Obviously, that's not a critique at all, but a compliment to Gaiman's skills as a writer. But, when you're plunking down $32.95 (Canadian) for a book, it's a little disappointing to get a relatively slim volume.

Another good one.
These are good stories. Properly speaking, they are barely 'Sandman' stories: I think the Sandman makes just one cameo appearance. They're still good stories.

The format is familiar: strangers wait out a storm at an inn unfamiliar to all of them. They pass the time exchanging stories. OK, it's an old bottle, but Gaiman fills it with new wine. The stories range from the biographical to the fantastic and satiric.

The most mythic story, I think, takes place in the politics of a world much like modern America, or maybe 70s America. Mythology isn't about distant times, it's about grand heroes and their quests - I like to be reminded of that occasionally.

I usually read comics for the artwork first and writing second. The various artists in this book are all capable enough, but that's not what carries the book. I was quite happy to be pulled along by the story-telling.

The construct is more important than the tale
Interesting structure to a series of tales told by travelers stuck at an Inn during a storm. Cantebury Tales was the inspiration and Gaiman employs many levels of stories within stories and even eventually brings the story full circle, which is cheeky. However it seems that the stories were given little precedence and therefore come off very weak. Now part of this is expectation. Fables and Reflections blew me away and may be my fav of the series so I expected this as a series of individual stories to be just as good. So with it being just average I was overly disappointed. There are some good moments and the few appearances of Death and the Endless are captivating. However they are not enough.

One note: the end of this book overtly hints at the plot of Kindly One's so if you want to be surprised, read this after that one. I wish Gaiman hadn't done that, myself. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

My favorite book ever...and it's a comic book
The Kindly Ones is the climax of the series. I'm not going to talk about that part of the story. It's too huge, too--agh! You'll have to find out for yourself. This, the climax, is, of course, the most important thing in the storyline, but if I try to put words on the feeling it gives me I will miserably fail. Instead, I'm going to talk about the little reasons besides that main reason which, for me, make The Kindly Ones the best.

1) The Corinthian is in it: my favorite Sandman character second only to Dream himself. I can't quite say why, but I just love this character. Since The Doll's House I've found him absolutely fascinating, a creation of genius. And when he came back in Brief Lives, I practically jumped for joy. Unfortunately, that was only about three pages plus one panel. But now he's back again, and--yes! --He's a major character! And he's way more interesting in The Kindly Ones than he was in The Doll's House--this is a new Corinthian. Yes!

2) Delirium is in it, my second favorite of the Endless. She always brightens up a story; luckily, she doesn't steal the attention from Dream in this storyline, as she did in Brief Lives (although that was the right thing for that story, and not a drawback). Here, she's searching for her doggie and following her fish.

3) Thessaly's back! Dream's mystery lover from Brief Lives, last seen in A Game of You. I adore this character. (I also like her name very much, as you can tell since I stole it for my handle.) I always found her one of the most intriguing characters in the series, and I still wish I knew more about her...This is one of the great things about Sandman. Everyone finds their own favorite things to hook onto, a favorite issue, favorite character, that might not mean much to someone else, but somehow is really fascinating to you. Some people love Death or Nuala or Hob Gadling or Mervyn; for me, it's The Corinthian and Thessaly, and I love Brief Lives 3 and 9, A Game of You part 3 and 5, Season of Mists Epilogue, and Ramadan, to name a few. (Not to mention all of The Kindly Ones.) And you, no doubt, have your own favorites, or will have, once you read the series. If you haven't, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

One other reason why The Kindly Ones is the greatest: Marc Hempel's art. Some people hate it. I love it. I love the way he's managed to capture the look and expression of all the old characters while doing it in such a different, simplified style. I'm really glad that this crucial volume of Sandman was illustrated by someone with such talent, such a particular mood to his work.

I really can't express what _The Kindly Ones_ is in this brief review; read Sandman for yourself and find out. (I can't stress this enough. Read Sandman. Now. If you want me to tell you again, e-mail me and I will rant on and on about it.) However, being the ninth of ten volumes, this is NOT the place to start--go to Preludes and Nocturnes (Book 1) or The Doll's House (2) for that.

Beautiful story, interesting art.
This book tells the story of Dream's death. Dream fights his fate, but almost absent-mindedly. He seems resigned to watch that which he knows he could change. This is where his fatal flaw is revealed--his sense of responsibility. Had Desire had this happen to him/her, she would have done everything in her power to stop it. Yet Dream barely wants to, and in the end gives in to the Furies. This book is beautiful, and I have read it perhaps 5 times. Each time something new pops up, something unseen. It is subtle, and it shows the dire consequences of accepting one's fate without action. This is Gaiman at his personal best in the series.

We do what we do because of who we are.
Simply put, "The Kindly Ones" is a study of Morpheus' collapse, and, as such, follows the conventions of tragedy. And in true tragic fashion, Morpheus' downfall is precipitated from within: in this case, an unerring commitment to his office and the responsibilities contained therein, even when adhering to those principles ensures his inevitable demise. Clever as he is, Gaiman never truly indicates why Dream so resolutely marches towards this fate: is Morpheus punishing himself for the sins of his past; does he believe we all have predestined ends, and his particular position obligates him to make choices consistent with it, consequences be damned; is he simply not as insightful as he appears, and naively making choices that are destroying him? Although, by this point, he has appeared in nine volumes, Dream continues to elude facile generalizations of his character and remains deliciously enigmatic. Even the lot of Morpheus at the end of this volume is uncertain; death and life appearing to be rather fluid and interchangeable concepts, much like the ankh symbol worn by his adorable, and equally paradoxical, older sister, Death.

As Mikal Gilmore notes in this insightful Introduction to "The Wake," the title not only points to those 'kindly' ladies, the Furies, but others whose acts of kindness (Hippolyta, Thessaly, even Morpheus) similarly precipitate Morpheus' fall, either purposely or not. It is remarkable Gaiman has constructed a character whose humanization and kindness eventually destroys him. You certainly won't find this level of psychological sophistication in your average run-of-the-mill comic title or novel.

This volume gets my vote for the pick of the series; not an easy task when you consider the immense quality of its predecessors. But there's a sense of urgency in the unfolding of the plot, a self-awareness that things are coming to an end, leading to the inescapable conclusion that this title is the crescendo of the Sandman library. All the unresolved plotlines in the earlier volumes flourish here and result in the climactic conclusion. We learn that the fate of Morpheus is intertwined with the fate of the series itself, and I for one can't think of a more appropriate ending.

Beginning of the end...
This is probably one of the top three Sandman comics and the thickest. The 'Kindly Ones' is where is the climax of the Sandman series takes place and the break down of Morpheus's realm begins. It is also slightly more sassy and somewhat more complicated and plot-based then earlier works like 'Season of Mist' and ''Brief Lives.'

This is quite possibly the worst Sandman to begin on, and is about the only Sandman work which really requires complete reading of earlier volumes. There is little in the way of character exploration itself, and background knowledge is certainly assumed.

However, there is such beauty in the sheer magnificence of the artwork, the intensity of the plot and the wonderful way in which eight volumes worth of characters are brought back to life.

'The Kindly Ones' is an integral part in any Sandman library, and is both a superb read and a marvellous conclusion to an simply amazing series.

Sandman's grand finale
Although it is actually its second-to-last story arc, The Kindly Ones is, for all intents and purposes, the climax of Sandman, Neil Gaiman's acclaimed fantasy comic book starring Morpheus, a glum, superhuman entity who rules over the realm of dreams (The subsequent The Wake is like a long epilogue). While no previous Sandman story arc seemed like a continuation of a preceding one, The Kindly Ones is a meta-sequel of sorts that features characters and plot threads from Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, Season of Mists, A Game of You and Brief Lives. Likewise, new readers should best begin with one of the aforementioned volumes but those who have already devoured two of three of the preceding Sandman story arcs, will delight in this excellent conclusion.

The Kindly Ones features sub plots galore. But the main story concerns the abduction of three-year old Daniel Hall. Daniel is the child of Lyta and the late Hector Hall, who as The Fury and The Silver Scarab, respectively, were part of the superhero team Infinity Inc. In a series of events too complicated to recount here (see The Doll's House), the Halls were swept-up into the Dream World for most of Lyta's pregnancy. Because of this, Morpheus considers Daniel "his" and when the child is kidnapped, Lyta believes the Dream King the culprit. After the real captors trick her into believing that Daniel has been killed, Lyta seeks out the Kindly Ones, avenging spirits who torment and slay those who have killed their kin. Because he committed the mercy killing of his own son (see Brief Lives), Morpheus has little defense against the Kindly Ones as they ravage through the dream world.

Meanwhile, Nuala, a faerie princess who was made a "gift" to Morpheus (see Season of Mists) reluctantly returns to her homeland; Delirium, Morpheus' loopy kid sister who governs the realm of insanity, searches for her lost pet dog; Lucifer, who renounced the throne of Hell (also in Season of Mists), opens an LA nightclub and Rose Walker, the young American woman who was once a "dream vortex" (see The Doll's House) trots across the Atlantic.

One can surely deduce from the above recap that The Kindly Ones is a sprawling and ambitious opus (at 13 issues it is the longest Sandman story arc). And it works. Gaiman masterfully weaves together each facet of the tale, leading to a conclusion that does not disappoint. Marc Hempel's super-cartoony art is controversial among Sandman fans, but he has won me over. His images are bright, alluring and strangely conducive to the matter-of-fact manor in which Gaiman tells of fantastic creatures and events. The Kindly Ones was obviously meant to be the grand finale that capstones the Sandman experience and it succeeds on every level. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the third volume in a series collecting the early Conan comic book stories by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. Originally created in the 1930s, Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian has survived to emerge as one of this century's most powerful and popular characters. Even more impressive than the character's lasting appeal over the past seven decades, is the caliber of talent involved in all of the various Conan incarnations. Of those, there are few that speak as clearly and as uniquely as artist Barry Windsor-Smith. Over the course of these early stories, Windsor-Smith's stunning evolution from comic-book cartoonist to full-fledged artist is apparent and thrilling to behold. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Conan's encounters with Elric and the Hyrkanian War
"The Monster of the Monoliths and Other Stories," Volume 3 in "The Chronicles of Conan" reprints issues #14-15 and 17-21 of Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian." Actually, the term "reprint" is not exactly accurate because beyond allowing us to enjoy these classic comic books without taking them out of the protective plastic in which they are sealed, these issues have been recolored using computers to make them even better (clouds and shadings are not big time fun). True, I thought they went a bit too far when they colored the epilogue of "The Black Hound of Vengeance" (#20), but overall the effects are quite impressive, especially since the paper stock in this Darkhorse publication is of vastly superior quality to what these stories were printed on back in the early 1970s.

Basically "The Monster of the Monoliths and Other Stories" can be divided into three sections. First, there is the two-part adventure involving Robert E. Howard's Conan of Cimmeria and Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone. Conan meets up again with Zephra and her father, the wizard Zukala from issue #5. The two sword and sorcery heroes from different words meet and after fighting each other in the first issue fight together against the Green Empress of Yagala in the second. Gil Kane's first pair of "Conan" stories is adapted by Thomas from Howard's story "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth." At the start of issue #6 there had been a quick little homage to Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser when Conan interrupts a couple of thieves named Fafnir and Black Rat (the story was originally about Howard's hero Black Turlogh O'Brien and his pirate captor Wulfhere). Conan learns Fafnir is still alive and after their initial fights the two become brothers in arms for most of the rest of this volume. This first adventure has them helping the goddess Aala (a.k.a. the young girl Kyrie) regain her thrown and then dealing with the inevitable monsters and volcanic eruption.

The last trio of stories represents the beginning of Barry Windsor-Smith's final run on "Conan the Barbarian." "Hawks from the Sea" finds Conan and Fafnir involved in the siege of Makkalet by the armies of Tur1n, under the command of Prince Yezdigerd, son of King Yildiz. Conan gets to experience the Hyrkanian War from both sides, doing a mission to the Turanians in "The Black Hound of Vengeance" and then switching sides to encounter "The Monster of the Monoliths," which is inspired in part by REH's "The Black Stone." The prime interest, however, is how Windsor-Smith's artwork continued to evolve, and the marked differences we seen after a few months off of drawing "Conan," especially knowing what is yet to come in the Volume 4 is even better. Thomas' storytelling has improved as well and one of the chief joys of reading these volumes has been to see how well these stories have stood up over time.

Thomas writes a "Behind the Swords" essay that appears in the back of this volume and which talks about the history of each of these issues. He also points out the Kane's issues of "Conan the Barbarian" actually outsold what the celebrated Windsor-Smith issues had done to that point. More interesting are the recollections of how Windsor-Smith would draw things and then Thomas would have to make it work with the story and how the final pages of issue #19 were colored without being inked (which explains why they look so inferior). Thomas spends about as much time explaining the reasons why, for example, the last issue is inked by Dan Adkins, Craig Russell, Val Mayerik, and Sal Buscema, as where they got the ideas for various stories. The only serious complaint with these trade paperbacks is that the original covers are not included, which will be a particular shame when we get to the next volume and the conclusion of Barry Windsor-Smith's run on this landmark comic book. ... Read more

Book Description

Guts, the feared Black Swordsman, finishes his desperate battle with the monstrous Count, cutting and blasting him to gory scraps when the presence of the Count's daughter makes the monster hesitate. But Guts won't even have the time to clean his gigantic sword when the Count's dying pleas activate the Behelit, summoning the five God Hands, demon lords of immeasurable power. Guts' journey so far has been a long road of pain and death, but that's a walk in the park compared to fighting his way out of Hell itself! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Absolutely amazing!
Oh, how it pains me to read a volume of Berserk, each one leaving me pining even more so for the next one. For fans of the anime series, volume three is THE volume to own! Where the first two books started off showing a bit more of Guts life right at the moment, not much reference is really made to the part of the story shown to us in the anime, which was pretty much one giant flashback.

However, in this volume, we get to see Griffith!! Already a proud member of the demonic Godhand (and loving it, may I add), the interaction between the two is absolutely fascination. And, there is a also a flashback to when Griffith and Guts used to fight battles together, back when Griffith was still Guts' Idol.

And, might I add, I really like Puck, a character unique to the manga alone. With the story being as graphically violent as it is, its kind of nice seeing a little compassion comeing from somewhere at least. This little Elf is pretty darn cute and he does add a bit of comic relief.

But best of all, in this volume, we get to see baby Guts!! He's so cute!! And 3 year old guts, and 6 year old guts, and 9 year old guts! (I'm sure you see a pattern here). After finishing the exciting story arc of the mad ruler turned demon slug type creature, we are shown a flashback of Guts' birth and past growing up. Most of this was depicted in the anime, but we see slight variations. His adopted father, while being depicted in the anime as being moderately cruel all throughout (not counting when he totally loses it at the end), he is shown here with a wider variety of personas, going from horribly cruel, to surprising moments of kindness.

However, the end leaves you hanging with a part of his past that wasn't in the anime at all, so I'm absolutely dying for the next volume. This is a series that you won't want to miss. Berserk is my all time favorite manga and anime ever! ... Read more

Book Description

FABLES: STORYBOOK LOVE is a captivating tale of romance and adventure. After being hunted and hounded by a savage being called the Adversary, the legendary characters of fables and fairytales were forced to relocate to a magical high-rise in Manhattan. Living in peaceful disharmony for centuries, the literary figures have forged a dysfunctional existence of tentative alliances and allegiances. But when Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf begin an improbable romance, Bluebeard enacts a devious plan to destroy his rivals. Now as Goldilocks mercilessly stalks the two lovers in the Cascade Mountains, Prince Charming confronts Bluebeard in a deadly duel within the confines of the Fables’ New York condominium. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Sparkling stories about familiar characters
In this marvelous and engaging series of funnybook stories collected here, Bigby Wolf (also known as the Big Bad) attempts to romance the ever-elusive Snow White while Prince Charming (having divorced Snow White, Briar Rose, and Cinderella) kills Bluebeard and a homicidal Goldilocks is on the lam. Throw in the Mouse Police that never sleep, the Lilliputians and Thumbelina, and a flying monkey serving temporarily as a mayor and what a fun, rollicking romp through archetypes and the collective unconsciousness. Just some of the best comics reading around, but as others have mentioned elsewhere, this isn't Disney and these aren't the sweet and sticky fairy story characters the unwitting might suspect.

Some one-issue stories, and a story arc as well
Continuing the "Fables" saga, this book brings together two story arcs (one involving a "Mundy" reporter who thinks he's uncovered the Fables' real nature, the other throwing Snow White and Bigby Wolf together) with some shorter, one-issue stories. One is about Jack, the trickster, who gets in over his head during the Civil War after fighting for the Confederacy, and the other introduces us to "Smalltown," the community of Lilliputian exiles.

The stories are, as always, good, but be warned: these comics may be about fairy-tale people, but this is not meant for children---there are scenes involving nudity and other "adult" subjects. That said, it's quite good and well worth the money.

Worth Every Penny (and probably a few more)
Sometimes, authors don't know what they have. I'm sure the creators of classic fables like Little Red Riding Hood and Snow white never thought the villain of one and the protagonist of the other would ever find love, but author Bill Willingham finds a way to make it work in this intelligent and beautifully illustrated story arc.

The fables, exiled from their home world, live in Manhattan and exist as a fractured community, faced with the mundane (they call normal human Mundys) and the fantastical (Beauty's Beast turning beastial in appearance whenever she's mad at him), all under the watchful and creative eye of Willingham.

Reading this (or the other two excellent collections), one gets the feeling Willingham has done a lot of research into the original fables and not the Disneyized versions we have come to know. Literary buffs, academics, those who like a good laugh and anyone who wanted to know what happened after they lived happily ever after should pick this up. Beware, however, that this is not for children. Let them grow up with Disney and they'll be very entertained when they're old enough to read this. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Series
Ok, so I haven't read this volumne in the series yet but the other four are highly addictive!I think I have reread it about 5 to 6 times just waiting for this volumne.As for the editing - I don't know what the orginial looked like - the most talked about scene involves Fujisawa in volumne 4.His head is there and if the sound effects are missing hell I can fill in the blanks.A few sound effects don't derail how good the story is.Sorry, if this angers purists.If you're looking for an engaging story with completely fun and interesting characters this is it.I'd start from the beginning however, but thus far my favorite volumne is 3.But I'm biased since I love Hisoka.

Edited
Yami no Matsuei is a wonderful series. Ever since VIZ announced they had the rights I've wondered if they would edit it. Well on page 147 of Volume four they decided to. It's missing sound effects. As well as the head of one character on the bottom panel in order to obscure the sex scene. Why they decided to do this is a mystery considering the Teen+ parental advisory and other content in volume four and previous ones. So does it spoil the whole book? Any fans can make up their mind, but it certainly calls into question the authenticity of future volumes. Especially since there is more material VIZ may find questionable.

Dark = Sexy
The main characters in this manga are utterly hilarious...in a good way.This is way an intro to the characters, so we don't know too much about them yet.But what you do find out is sweet, and romantic, and funny.I can't wait to read the next book.

Cute XD!!
On a whim I picked up this manga.How very glad I am that I did.I am planning on getting the entire set so it really must be good ni?

Some sexy boys playing detectives
This story is my personal favorite. I waited for the manga to come out for a long time, and now that it finally has, I am very glad. The anime is very beautiful to watch, but the books are more entertaining because they go in much more detail.

The story is mainly about Tsuzuki, god of death, and his hot partner, Hisoka, and their adventures as they try to fix the beauro's problems. The manga is really funny, with Tsuzuki slacking off all the time and eating apple pie whenever he can, and Hisoka mainly grumbling and sneering at everyone, which doesn't make him any less cute.

Muraki is the sadistic villan of the story, and though he does very mean things to Hisoka, which I highly do not approve of, he is still very interesting character and gives the story more feel.

I can't wait for volume #2. ... Read more

Book Description

In the early 1970s, Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian exploded on to the comics scene. Writer Roy Thomas teamed with a young artist named Barry Smith, and together the two mapped out some of the most stirring and memorable Conan adventures to come along since those written by Howard himself. Over the course of their 24 issue run together, Thomas and Smith defined Conan for a generation of comics readers, and now those stories are collected here in a series of trade paperbacks. Featuring completely remastered color and text corrections, and containing material not available for nearly thirty years, these books are the perfect companions to the upcoming all-new Conan series from Dark Horse. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Essential Conan Comics
These reprints of the early Marvel Comics Conan series are essential for any fan of comics in general and Conan in particular. As has been noted, the only drawbacks are the absence of the original covers and digital color that virtually crushes Barry Smith's art. That's a shame because these stories could have been greatly enhanced by digital color in the right hands. We can only hope that Dark Horse will correct the problem before they get around to reprinting "Red Nails" which I understand is part of the plan.

Digital recoloring is a mixed bag.
I wish that I could give this book 4 stars but it has two medium flaws that make it only earn three. 1.The original covers have not been included. Why not? 2. The computer applied color interferes with seeing the original artwork clearly. By this I mean that the color is many times so dark that it overwhelms Smith's work. Also, the effort to make the figures more volumetric by modeling from light to dark quite often makes the pen strokes vanish. Hopefully, someone at Dark Horse will fix this in the next two volumes because it's in these issues where Smith hits his early stride and I'd hate for Smith's pen work to be obscured by some dcomputer colorist attempting to demonstrate his/her anime flavored virtuosity.Even after my rant, I recommend this book and volume one too. They ain't perfect, but still damned good. Just take it with a grain of salt.

No Elric, but still some great stuff!
For some reason issues #14 and 15 of Conan The Barbarian are omitted from this volume - my guess is for stylistic reasons - but this is yet another wonderful collection of these graphic Hyborean classics.

Like the first volume, the digital recoloring is absolutely gorgeous and renders the breathtaking artwork with stunning clarity. The original comics were printed on newsprint, which as most comic coinnoseurs know, does not render the images with the utmost fidelity. These volumes give these stories the treatment they deserve, with good white paper and care taken in the art restoration.

In the afterword, Roy Thomas (the writer who adapted Conan into comics) promises that issues #14 and #15 will be in volume three, so fear not at the omission of the stories featuring Michael Moorcock's Elric. Simply read and savor the golden age of the comic-book Conan.

Thomas and Windsor-Smith's Conan the thieving barbarian
It is a shame that in reprinting the seminal run of artist Barry Windsor-Smith on Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" Dark Horse Comics has neglected to include the cover art as well. But that is the only major complaint a fan can have against "Rouges in the House & Other Stories," the second of four books in the Chronicles of Conan series. The minor complaint would be that in covering these six particular issues--which includes the two "big" comics when Marvel had its two month experiment of increasing the price from 15 cents to 25 cents while also increasing the size so that the monthly comics were suddenly the same size as an annual--Book 2 ends in the middle of the 2-part saga where Roy Thomas has Michael Moorcock's Elric show up to cross swords with Robert E. Howard's Conan. However, these trifles are outweighed by the fact that these comics are being reprinted so that I can enjoy them without taking my originals out of their sacred plastic bags and by the gorgeous job of re-coloring each comic that makes them look much better than ever before. The coloring alone makes these worth having, it is that stunning.

Included in this collection are the following issues of "Conan the Barbarian": #9 "The Garden of Fear," based on Howard's story of that name, where Conan encounters a winged demon in a tower; #10 "Beware the Wrath of Anu" where Conan joins forces with another thief in a Corithian city. When his partner is betrayed (and executed by hanging on a memorable page drawn by Windsor-Smith), Conan goes after the Red Priest himself for revenge and ends up taking on a giant bull; #11 "Rouges in the House" is also based on a Howard short story, is a 34-page epic in which Conan is betrayed by Jenna and released from prison to help with a little intrigue and ends up taking on a giant ape (notice a theme developing here?); #12 "The Dweller in Dark" is only 16-pages long and has Conan taking on a giant octopus (really); #13 "Web of the Spider-God" was plotted by John Jakes, the creator of "Brak the Barbarian," and has Conan taking on a giant spider; #14 "A Sword Called Stormbringer" was plotted by Elric of Melibone creator Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn, and has Conan hooking up with Zukala's daughter (from issue #5) before clashing with Elric. The two band together to fight a common foe, setting up their encounter in the next issue with the Green Empress. Most of these issues are inked by Sal Buscema, although he is not listed for #12, which may or may not indicate that Windsor-Smith did the inking as well on that one.

"Rogues in the House" is indeed the best of the bunch and the overall focus is on Conan as primarily a thief at this point in his career, who keeps finding new monsters to fight each issue. But you can see why "Conan the Barbarian" was such a critical success and you can also see how Windsor-Smith's art improves with ever issue as he becomes more and more stylized. While Thomas is inviting other noted sword & sorcery writers to provide plots, he is also continuing to mine the Howard oeuvre for stories and embellishing what he finds with much more of a sense of character than in the original pulp fiction yards from the 1930s.

The other two tradepaperback collection will be "Chronicles of Conan Volume 3: The Monster of the Monoliths and Other Stories," which reprints #14-#15 and #17-#21, and "Chronicles of Conan Volume 4: Red Nails and Other Stories," which issues #23-#26, and material from the second and third issues of Savage Tales, including the Thomas and Windsor-Smith masterpiece "Red Nails." This answers my invocation to Crom from my review of volume one and I have already downloaded the splash page as wallpaper from the Dark Horse site. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Feel the pain ooze off the paper.
This book is amazing. This is the first graphic novel that is both emotionally disturbing and fixating. The pain O'Barr must have been going through, must be emense and it translates well on the paper- The pain simply oozes off the papers.

This graphic novel is a must for those who like the darker side of life, and those who like a good story. It's poetic, sad, funny (in brief moments) violent and disturbing. All the hallmarks of a classic. (You could go as far as to say it is Hamlet for a messed up generation, but I'm not.)

All in all, a great read. This graphic novel has to be up there in the graphic novel top ten list (which would also include sin city, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and others.)

A Love Story masterpiece
It took me seven long years to finally find this novel. When I recieved it in the mail and openned it up, I was not dissapointed. As a matter of fact, this is the only piece of art (movies, books, etc.) that has ever really made an impression on me.

The story is a classic love and revenge story. Man and woman who are deeply in love are both murdered and man comes back to life to avenge their murder. However, James O'Barr has written this story with such a passion(this story is loosly based on his own personal tragedy). It's as if he bleed his soul on paper and put it into book form.

However, this book should be read with a slow pace. It is easy to miss some of the smaller things in this book. I made the mistake of reading it fast. I went back and read it slowly and it was five times better.

A must read if you are into a. Comics b. Love Stories or c. Poetry

Worth The Money
Well, it was a few months ago when i ordered this book off Amazon, having heard so many good things about it. I am not heavily into comcis and graphic novels, but read the odd one now and again. And for those of you who seem to think this book is for teenage goths, I am just a normal teenage lad who was looking for something to read which was a bit more involving than the mainstream rubbish you seem to get these days.

And all I can say is 'wow'. The art is possibly the best I've ever seen (even if I was kind of suprised by Eric's somewhat femine appearance at times), and the writing is equally impressive. OK, so the gore is a bit over the top and perhaps un-needed, but if you look beneath it all you can see a very tragic story.

I am not even goin to mention James O'Barr and whatever it was that happened to him and inspired him to make this book, because it has no relation to the pure quality of it all.

An excellent read, and not just for goths!

Art
I have been a fan of "The Crow" for years and believe it to be one of the greatest graphics novels ever inked. The pain reflected in the story line is monumentous. It took a man on the edge of sanity to write something this. I feel that J. O'Barr has written something here that may never have an equel in its field.

disappointment
Melodramatic- falls flat. I liked the art well enough, and amidst all the nonsensical crap, there were a few nice lines, but Lord. How on earth can anyone take this seriously? I don't want to harp on O'Barr's (apparently) working out his grief through this, but maybe it wasn't the best idea. Instead of 'bleeding pain,' mostly it just screams teenage wish fulfillment. Edgy face paint, killing for the beloved and then dying by her grave? Come on. And let's not even get started on the freaking poetry quotations scattered throughout.

I don't know, I kept waiting for it to go somewhere. And it didn't, really. I saw no point to it. I understand it as catharsis, but beyond that... well, there isn't really any other story. And everyone's very one dimensional, they exist only to carry out their predetermined functions, it's all quite boring to read through. Not commenting on O'Barr's personal loss, but as an aside- [Eric's] reaction to her death was ridiculously overblown, and only tangentially related to her at all. She was completely inconsequential and bland, could have been replaced at any moment by any other beautiful buxom blond and have it not matter a whit to the story.

I'm sorry for tearing into this, but I had high expectations for this book, and they weren't, well, met in the slightest. Maybe it'd appeal to young goths, I don't know, try it if you like. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Treasure of Romantic Images from a Bygone Time
This is a must for any fan of the Crimson Pig.I originally got my copy for inspiration for building models of the various aircraft featured in the story.I was hoping for more images of the gunsmith's shop and the hanger where they rebuilt Porco's plane, but was completely satisfied with the content.Just a relaxing collection of artwork from a time when people knew how to behave like ladies and gentlemen... and pirates.

Jason Spangle (Mamma Aiuto) ... Read more

Book Description

In the early 1970s, Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian exploded on to the comics scene. Writer Roy Thomas teamed with a young artist named Barry Smith, and together the two mapped out some of the most stirring and memorable Conan adventures to come along since those written by Howard himself. Over the course of their 24-issue run together, Thomas and Smith defined Conan for a generation of comics readers, and now those stories are collected here in a series of trade paperbacks. Featuring completely remastered color and text corrections, and containing material not available for nearly thirty years, these books are the perfect companions to the upcoming all-new Conan series from Dark Horse. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good way to embrace your inner 13 year old!
Dark Horse Books had done comic book readers a fine, if flawed, service by reprinting the Roy Thomas/Barry Smith issues of Marvel's CONAN THE BARBARIAN comics from the early 1970's. This volume collects issues 1 through 8. The afterword by Thomas, who scripted the comic for many issues, chronicalling its genesis is not only informative but provides a nice behind-the-scenes peek of Marvel's inner workings. But, for me, the real pleasure found here is the joy of watching Barry Smith teach himself to draw.Lessons learned from Jack Kirby served Smith well as he progressed through the series. Even in these early issues Smith showed a strong graphic storytelling ability and visually the comics still hold up today.I've deducted a star from this book because the original covers weren't included here and I dislike the digitally applied color. I compared it to the comics themselves and while in many instances the digital colors are an improvement, the background coloring is wonderfully atomspheric and subtle; in others it detracts from the drawings. Particularly, the shadow modeling on the figures could have benefitted from a lighter touch. There is an attempt to make the figures more volumetric by slapping on a light to dark value range. This obscures the pen work and reminded me of second rate anime. And did ALL the skin tones have to be limited from beige to brown? I hope when Dark Horse reprints later issues that they will follow the "less is more" philosophy when applying the color to Smith's work.Still, this is only a minor irritation and won't dampen the enjoyment to be found here.

The early comic classics get the treatment they deserve!
Finally, someone has seen fit to give these sword-and-sorcery comic classics the treatment they deserve! Dark Horse has restored the classic artwork of Barry Smith and utilized modern digital colorization to render the definitive published versions.

While Smith's early work is a bit derivative or evocative of Jack Kirby, it's fascinating to see his stylistic development nevertheless.

Roy Thomas did the fantasy world a great service adapting Conan onto the comics page, with his crisp writing that shows he has a keen ear for the spirit of Robert E. Howard's work.

Pour yourself a flagon of wine and savor these Conan classics, by crom!

THESE stories will not be ignored
For many years, there has been a push to return Robert E. Howard's Conan to his roots; meaning, get rid of all the modified tales from L. Sprague deCamp and others that were incorporated into the Lancer and Ace paperback Conan series, leaving us only with the original REH Conan. By doing this, however, we are left with only a handful of stories and fragments of questionable quality. Let's be honest: while REH was innovative and had an extremely active imagination, he was not the literary talent that many would have us believe. Plus, as there have been countless characters to imitate Conan, I feel that the involvement of other creators to flesh out this archetypal barbarian can only help Howard's legacy and should not be ignored. I grew up on the modified Conan stories, and I feel that they certainly help to present Conan as a more complete and accessible character. Others must have felt this way as well, for as a result, Conan and other REH characters were propelled into paperbacks and other media, including comics.

What I'm getting at is, by pretending that the modifications never happened, everything inspired by them stands a good chance of never being reprinted. I was quite suprised and happy, therefore, upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics received the rights to reprint Roy Thomas' & Barry Smith's Conan tales, originally done for Marvel in the '70s. This is some beautiful work from both creators. Be warned, however, that the artwork contained within is faux-Kirby from plain old "Barry Smith", not the pre-raphaelite renderings of "Barry WINDSOR Smith". You won't see BWS' artistic transition until the last couple of issues, to be reprinted in the third Dark Horse volume. There are a few REH tales here, plus some pastiches, but all serve to present Conan as an individual instead of just another brute with a sword. This first volume reprints #1-8 in full color on bright glossy paper, with restored and recolored art. It is unfortunate that more issues couldn't be included in this volume, but for Smith's art, I would prefer to spend more money for less stories in color than a black-and-white reprint ala Marvel's Essentials.

What? No covers? Shame on you, Dark Horse!
My rating would have been 5 stars if Dark Horse included the original covers to the stories. I'm sure Dark Horse has a good reason for their omission.

How about it Dark Horse; why'd you drop the ball? Whose brilliant idea was it to omit the covers?

Thomas and Windsor-Smith begin their epic run on "Conan"
Barry Windsor-Smith is my favorite comic book artist. Even though I have been selling off a lot of my old Marvel comic books, if Windsor-Smith drew the issue or just the cover, then that comic is a keeper. The irony is that when he drew his first comic book for Marvel comics, literally drawing his pages on park benches in Central Park, we all though he was the worst artist in the history of the world. But as you can see in "Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories," the first volume in "The Chronicles of Conan," in which Dark Horse reprints the first eight issues of Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian," Barry Windsor-Smith was quickly developing one of the most distinctive drawing styles in the history of comic books.

The key in these first eight issues of "Conan the Barbarian" are when Thomas and Windsor-Smith work from some of Robert E. Howard's original stories. Issue #4, "Tower of the Elephant" is prominent in the title of this collection because it is the first classic "Conan" comic book, but the adaptations of "The Grey God Passes" (#3), the poem "Zuakal's Hour" (#5), "The God in the Bowl" (#7), and a synopsis by Howard that Thomas uncovered (#8), were all crucial in helping the team find their voice and look in these comics. Just as the writing by Thomas becomes more than standard comic book fare, so does the artwork by Windsor-Smith because more stylized. Sal Buscema's inking of Windsor-Smith's pencils clearly defines this period, but I like the pages done by Dan Atkins a little better. Frank Giacoia's inks were just too different, but the final story, inked by Tom Sutton and Tom Palmer, hints at what we would see when Windsor-Smith would ink himself (did I mention I have the splash page of issue #8 as a black light poster?).

I have been happy to pick up the Marvel black and white reprint collections in the Essential series, but Conan is the exception to the rule. I do not want to take my comic books out of their bags, but with the remastered color of these comic books these reprints look a whole lot better than the originals. With its exotic locales, strange creatures, and gaudily dressed characters, "Conan" is a comic that especially benefits from remastered color. The results are extremely impressive.

Both Thomas and Windsor-Smith continue to make great improvements over the next dozen issues of "Conan the Barbarian," so I look forward to Volume 2 of "the Chronicles of Conan." Hopefully Dark Horse can reprint Thomas and Windsor-Smith's black and white Conan stories that they did in "The Savage Sword of Conan," especially "Red Nails," the splash page of which I had blown up on a giant poster board and colored in myself. I treasure that almost as much as the Windsor-Smith print we have in our bedroom that is signed and enscribed with our names and the date we got married. ... Read more