Battle of the Black Stone part 4: The Future yet Unwritten, the epic new Conan event from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics reaches its conclusion.
St. Elmo's fire surrounds Brissa, Solomon Kane, John Kirowan and murdered author James Allison... they are fading away. Conan's soul was the anchor holding our HEROES OF MAN in the Hyborian Age.
James Allison confirms that Brissa died many years ago.
Like Odin, Kirowan gives one of his eyes in return for wisdom. With this new knowledge he is able to access hidden paths of energy/power to resurrect Conan.
Phantom Picts of the past appear only to Kirowan, the phantasms will guide him towards the source of the BLACK STONE curse.
They reach the source of corruption! A cracked onyx BLACK STONE altar (clearly the empty BLACK STONE coffin of Thulsa Doom) is protected by crazed living Picts, spectres and the BLACK STONE BEAST.
James Allison's ghost becomes whole again, Kane dies, James imagines a world where the BLACK STONE BEAST can be defeated. Conan defeats the BEAST.
Brissa strikes the BLACK STONE altar with her sacred spear, it EXPLODES. The curse has been broken.
Chicago, 1936. The Wanderer's Club. Kirowan (now wearing an eye patch) and John Conrad want to know more about the mysterious SIGIL that Francis Xavier Gordon (El Borak) witnessed in Savage Sword of Conan #4. The SIGIL has changed, it is no longer the BLACK STONE one.
Grenoble, France, 1522. Agnès de Chastillon is now free from the rage that was drowning her mind.
Africa, 1584. Kane's cat-headed ju-ju stave shudders only for a moment. Kane returns to his prayer.
Back to the Hyborian Age. We are Beyond the Black River. The new Aquilonian province of Conajohara, Fort Tuscelan on the edge of the Pictish wilderness. Conan notices that a freshly killed giant Pict is wearing a pendant incised with a symbol. The symbol is unfamiliar to the Cimmerian.
In the void, James Allison informs Brissa that he will now be residing in her magical spear, that the BLACK STONE BEAST killed him and that he is aware of Shuma-Gorath.
At home, encircled by its horde of BLACK STONE BEASTs, Shuma-Gorath (Not to be confused with Gargantos from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)) awakens.
What I did like:
An advert for the upcoming Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone special edition action figure based on the art of Rob De La Torre!
Archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks talks Shuma-Gorath, The Curse of the Golden Skull (1967), Shub-Niggurath, Gol-goroth, Yog-Sothoth, Roy Thomas, Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Bloch, H. P. Lovecraft, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme, Kaa-U the Accursed, Valusia the City of Wonders, Sligguth, N'Gabthoth, Dagoth the Dreaming God, Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner.
Brissa nuked (it's the only way to be sure) the entire source of corruption out of existence. Hilarious. Game over, man! Game over!
Women appear on almost all of the variant covers!
Mike Deodato draws Brissa on his cover!
2 female characters actually speak! Two!
What I did not like:
No advert for Tim Waggoner's upcoming Conan novel!
James Allison is not reincarnated and does not ask his other selves for guidance.
Brissa, the "final girl" of the mini-series remains dead.
When did Brissa perish? In Savage Sword of Conan #4?
Agnès does not say one word in French! Canada has two official languages. Je voulais voir Zub utiliser son français.
The Staff of Solomon is never used. Ridiculous!
N'Longa, the fan favourite African shaman is never called upon. Sad and insulting.
Kane never mentions his previous encounter with the BLACK STONE BEAST.
Kirowan never uses his BLACK STONE shard.
The BLACK STONE BEAST killed Allison in Conan the Barbarian FCBD 2024? Not someone else from the vast Howardverse? Extremely disappointing!
Conan could not stay dead for one issue.
Is this a Lamaze breathing technique pamphlet?
The Phantom Picts of the past are good? Some are corrupted? Who cares?
Who brought Brissa back from the dead? Who cares?
Who sent Conan back in time? Who cares?
The giant Pict should now be normal size.
Instead of seeing Shuma-Gorath being developed into a fresh new character, we get five issues of heroes getting butchered by a BLACK STONE BEAST.
The BLACK STONE BEASTs sitting next to Shuma-Gorath all look exactly the same. Boring and lazy.
Shuma-Gorath's light restores James Allison, it doesn't corrupt him. What?!
James Allison knows how to use Shuma-Gorath's power to rewrite reality? Sure, sure. Whatever.
In the void, James Allison shouldn't be a ghost.
Conan does not recognize the empty BLACK STONE coffin of Thulsa Doom!
I give it a 5/10. Jonas Scharf's art remains excellent. An unsatisfying mini that went nowhere. A never ending trek through the jungle splashed with gory moments. A frustrating story that repeats itself constantly. So many questions left unanswered. Unimaginative, uninformed, uncaring, maladroit writing.
