Battle of the Black Stone part 1: Eyes Upon Us, the epic new Conan event from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics continues.
Chicago, 1936. Professor Kirowan and John Conrad arrive late for their meeting at the Wanderer's Club. Clemants (from The Children of the Night) has organized a secret soirée and it's populated by scholars of the uncanny who are showcasing their rare relics.
Francis Xavier Gordon (El Borak, now a shadow of his former self, close to madness, grizzled and drunk) is waiting for Kirowan and Conrad, they want to know more about the mysterious BLACK STONE eye SIGIL that Gordon witnessed in Savage Sword of Conan #4.
Gordon nervously denies seeing the sigil in the Arabian Desert...but finally confesses that he is subconsciously marked by the BLACK STONE eye glyph... that something is watching him.
Grenoble, France, 1522. Since encountering the BLACK STONE sigil, random spouts of rage have been drowning the mind of Agnès de Chastillon. The breeches wearing Sword Woman unsheathes her blade from the body of a bandit.
Africa, 1584. Kane's cat-headed ju-ju stave aka the Staff of Solomon makes the Puritan aware of the devilish BLACK STONE.
Conan of Cimmeria is still holding on to the mysterious eye sigil pendant (acquired in Savage Sword of Conan #4).
A soldier at Fort Tuscenlan challenges Conan to a wrestling contest. Commander Valannus looks on. The baleful force confined in the BLACK STONE chips in and Conan is able to win the bout.
Still feeling the after effect of the unwarranted anger provided by the BLACK STONE, Conan cannot sleep, The BLACK STONE is still plaguing his subconscious. Conan answers the BLACK STONE's call, feeling watched and without conscious thought he finds a BLACK STONE gateway guarded by another Massive 12 feet tall Pict and his compadres.
Without any kind of strategy Conan engages the warriors.
Lost Knob aka Cross Plains, Texas, 1936. James Allison's weird tales are not stories emanating from his imagination, they are actually visions. Apparently James is under the spell of the BLACK STONE.
A deep prolonged resonant sound is heard throughout time and space, an unknown entity starts tearing at the soul and body of James Allison. James's screams are added to the sound. Our heroes, the partiers at the Wanderer's Club and the Picts hear it, feel it.
Our Heroes of Man (Conan, Solomon Kane, Dark Agnès, El Borak, Conrad & Kirowan) are now all linked to the dark power of the BLACK STONE.
À suivre!
What I did like:
Can a mere sigil influence the mind? Yes, absolutely! For me it's the Golden Arches, the second I see the symbol, I must have a Filet-O-Fish.
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks El Borak, H. Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling and Talbot Mundy.
Conan mentions "The Devil in Iron".
Three female characters actually speak! Three!
James Allison resembles author Robert E. Howard.
What I did not like:
There is no Dolmas in Africa. Dolma is a stuffed vegetable dish.
Detective Conan got a Happy Meal, but Conan the Barbarian never did! Inconceivable!
Conrad & Kirowan keep mum about their own BLACK STONE encounter in Egypt.
Where's the ring of Thoth-Amon, the Serpent Ring of Set?
Massive 12 feet tall Pict warriors do not exist.
N'Longa, the fan favourite African shaman is MIA. Unacceptable!
Seeing Robert E. Howard dying and being tortured on the year of his death. No one wants to see that. Disrespectful.
Seeing El Borak frightened out of his mind. Same thing. No one wants to see that either.
The Dark One aka the Master of the Monolith does not appear!
NO women appear on any of the variant covers. Embarrassingly lame!
Brissa, the Pict scout is a no-show. Very disappointing!
I give it an 8/10. Jonas Scharf's art looks scrumptious as always. Zub starts real slow, but it's only the first leg of the BLACK STONE journey. Readers of supernatural horror comics, you will be pleased as punch with this first issue. Go buy it.
Take this checklist to your local comic shop, so you don’t miss out on any of the fun!
