This is the start of a story arc that ends in issue 55. Strap yourself in, its going to be a ride. A ride that starts very quietly as Conan wanders into Nemedia looking to sell his sword. Nemedia, famous source of the Nemedian Chronicles the most complete work on the Hyborian Age, has always struck me as a scholarly town, almost like a huge university town from our era. Roy Thomas and John Buscema give it a distinct, almost medieval look. Conan riding in with his bearskin loincloth really sticks out in this crowd.
Soon enough, Conan meets with another character I'm very fond of - Murilo, from the Robert E. Howard penned "Rogues in the House". I'm very fond of "Rogues in the House" it kept me company during a two-week bout with the flu a long, long time ago. Meeting Murilo is like meeting an old friend.
Conan and Murilo catch up on old goings-on and future plans and I'm struck by a difference between the two men. Both of them have essentially been hit with the Hyborian equivalent of being unemployed. Murilo, notorious as he is, has been kicked out of his home city. Conan, well, who knows where he's been, this guy just wanders around and becomes soldier or thief depending on the circumstance. Anyway, we know Conan has ridden into town looking for work. Murilo, on the other hand, forms a small band of mercenaries-for-hire he calls the Crimson Company. Get it? One has an entrepreneur mindset while the other has an employee mindset - and I'm as upset as you are that Conan has gotten the shorter end of the stick in this comparison.
Ok, enough with the Economics discussion. This tale will regale you with a mysterious, and dangerous, shadow ring and a giant crystal scorpion god that comes to life - the God in the Crypt that you see in the cover blurb.
As per the mycomicshop.com writeup Captain Marvel stars in a one page Hostess ad, let's not forget about that hehehe.
Posted by Pete Albano - January 23, 2012
Did you like this post?Amazon Prices
The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 8: Brothers of the Blade and Other Stories
My Comic Shop Prices
Conan the Barbarian comic books
Here's the trailer to Conan the Destroyer with Arnold Schwarzenegger, also starring the gorgeous Olivia d'Abo :