BotTalk Reviews

Jim Zub's Twisting Loyalties part 3: Hunted The waters of Zarkheba. Bêlit, the Queen of the Black Coast has been murdered and avenged. Conan of Cimmeria is leaning on his great sword upon the white beach, watching the Tigress swinging out on her last voyage. A grieving Conan decides to immediately plunge into the mysterious jungles of the Southern/Black Kingdoms.  Conan kills a lizard and devours it raw. The barbarian is maltreated by a swamp, rain, pollen and hornets. Conan falls into a body of water (just like in Predator (1987)), he kills a crocodile, but he does not eat it. Exhausted, Conan collapses. A sound interrupts the Cimmerian's slumber, he spots a hunter using the trees, spying on him (just like in Predator (1987)). The next day, Conan finds no trace of the hunter (just like in Predator (1987)). Conan finds a village (just like in Predator (1987)). Not fond of his foul smell, the Kushites ask Conan to leave. Remember now: Conan was infected with vile Set magic by N...

Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is finally sporting another fantastic new issue of SSOC!  64 pulsating pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint!  Inside this magical magazine you will find the following treasures: A behind-the-scenes look at Conan’s upcoming appearance in NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Expansion Incredible art pin-ups: Conan the Barbarian by Stuart Sayger Breckinridge Elkins the Hillbilly from Bear Creek by Patch Zircher CONAN: MARK OF THE BEAST by Roy Thomas (inspired by The Mark of the Beast by Rudyard Kipling) and Roberto de la Torre Yota-Pong, the capital city of Kosala next to the much larger Vendhya. A twenty-year-old Conan has been with the lovely blonde Helgi (from Conan the Barbarian (1970) #28, a slave of Thutmekri, a Stygian from south of the Vilayet sea) for fourteen days. He is attacked by four thieves. Conan kills three, but the fourth is killed by the arrow of Raja of Vezek, a ...

Jim Zub's Twisting Loyalties part 2: Fangs & Foolish Thieves concludes. The Shemite coastal city of Kyros. The sneak thieves lead by Tarnasha have been brutally dispatched by Conan of Cimmeria and girlfriend Bêlit. To save her life, Tarnasha, proposes a heist to steal a relic.  We get a nice The God in the Bowl flashback. Conan encounters "The Serpent God" in Kallian Publico's Temple, a museum in Numalia (city in Nemedia). Conan is still shell-shocked from his clash with the enormous snake with the human visage. Bêlit, Conan and Tarnasha decide to team up. They make a pact. They will remain partners for the duration of the robbery. The trio of thieves start planning. The famous antiquarian, Libradicio, has in his possession a Stygian artifact, "The Fangs of The Serpent".  Bêlit will create a disturbance (as Libradicio's troubadour paramour) in front of the antiquarian's manor house and Conan & Tarnasha will filch "The Fangs" and wha...

A catalogue accompanying the exhibition at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.  Edited by Peter Maresca and Brian Walker. What you'll actually find inside this mysterious "Companion Catalogue": Photos: Cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller at his drawing board in 1955, Ernie with a group of Nancy and Sluggo vinyl dolls, Ernie in 1948, Ernie reading a Nancy Dell comic book by John Stanley and Dan Gormley in 1959 and Ernie at a Red Cross fundraiser. A nice Preface by Caitlin McGurk, Curator of Comics and Cartoon Art at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Nancy and Me by Ernie Bushmiller from Collier’s Magazine (September 18, 1948) Ernie Bushmiller’s famous self-portrait for Martin Sheridan’s 1942 book, Comics and Their Creators. A drawing of Ernie Bushmiller dreaming by Bushmiller from 1945. The Life and Times of Ernie Bushmiller by Brian Walker The first appearance of Nancy from the Fritzy Ritz daily comic strip, January 2, 1933. Original art from around 1935 ...

Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is sporting another brand new issue of SSOC!  62 mind-rendering pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint!  Inside this pulpy magazine you will find the following treasures: A Pin-Up of Conan by Gerardo Zaffino KING CONAN: THE ENSORCELLED, PART III: The Woods of the Witchbreaker by Jason Aaron and Geof Isherwood The Witchfinders aka The Brethren of the Briar find a caroling Conan leaving the Graaskal Mountains (splitting Hyperborea and Brythunia).  The leader of these Witchfinders/monks introduces himself as Father Flail. Flail is looking for Xyleena. Conan lies that he has already iced the witch. Conan notices on the back of one of the monks... the sword of one of his Black Dragons of Aquilonia. The monk confirms that they killed his Dragon. Conan breaks the monk's back against a tree. The Witchfinders grab Conan and remark that he has been marked/burned by Xyleena. Conan is perplexed by the...

Jim Zub's Twisting Loyalties part 1: Fangs & Foolish Thieves begins. The coastal city-state of Kyros in Shem. Bêlit's ship The Tigress secretly pulls into port for repairs and to restock. Bêlit brings corsair/boyfriend Amra the Lion aka Conan of Cimmeria to the Hidden Haven for some "quiet time". BÊLIT pays for pints of ale and a luxurious, private room. In flashback we see the mating-dance of Bêlit, whose fathers were kings of Askalon! Back to the Hidden Haven. Bêlit dances once again for Conan. They make love. Conan compliments Bêlit. Four brigands: Cass, Norl, a Gunderman mercenary and their leaderess attempt to murder and rob the Queen & King of the Black Coast. Only the leaderess survives the wrath of the pirates and to save her skin she mentions a precious artifact that can easily be stolen: The Fangs of The Serpent. Conan is not interested in running off with Stygian antiques... but Bêlit is.  À suivre. What I did like: A new arc begins with a new artis...

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 ...

A Black Stone Novel by James Lovegrove Dedicated to the memory of Robert Ervin Howard who dreamed up whole worlds and peopled them with heroes Cover by Jeffrey Alan Love  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  500 years ago. The earth quakes, ruptures and destroys the city of Ghuht, most citizens perish in the cataclysm. Lovecraftian lilac/pink light bleeds out of the earth fissure and transforms the survivors's second generation into flying monsters. The flora and fauna surrounding the city also gets warped and rechristened The Rotlands. The Rotlands are constantly expanding, taking over the planet.  After centuries of inbreeding, the monsters become infertile, they decide to kidnap women from adjacent regions, it doesn't work. Their Leader Khotan-Kha gets a brilliant idea: to further his dying race he'll send emissaries to capture "mutant" children and let the light mutate the youngsters into a new generation of immunized winged creatures. H...

Battle of the Black Stone part 3: Quest into Darkness, the epic new Conan event from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics is almost over. Only six Heroes remain, the Pict gate is behind them, the HEROES OF MAN are now deep into the Pictland jungles west of Conajohara. Brissa tells her tale from Savage Sword of Conan #4.  Our heroes are looking for the BLACK STONE BEAST's "source of corruption". Conan talks about his grandfather and past adventures. Brissa compliments multiple times the Cimmerian with the minuscule ego. Brissa reveals a tiny piece of the cursed BLACK STONE.  Slain scribe James Allison appears once again as an apparition, he's not only drawn to mighty, courageous souls, his spirit also can guide our heroes towards the source of corruption Solomon Kane is sure that he is on a mission from God, Dark Agnès de Chastillon is not so sure. Kane and Agnès converse in French, he mentions that he traveled along the Isère river in southeastern France... in 1574. Agn...

Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, the venerable spinner rack is sporting another brand new issue of SSOC!  61 mind-altering pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint!  Inside this succulent magazine you will find the following treasures: Pin-Ups: Conan by Tim Sale (from Tim Sale: Black and White - Revised and Expanded. RIP, Tim.) Conan by Sedat Oezgen Conan by Marco Rudy KING CONAN: THE ENSORCELLED, PART I: The Beast in Brythunia by Jason Aaron and Geof Isherwood The Graaskal Mountains splitting Hyperborea and Brythunia. The Brythunian border. Conan II aka Prince Conn, Conan's firstborn son, sits on the throne of Aquilonia while his father is away. The King of Aquilonia, Conan, is fifty-eight years old, he's on a diplomatic mission and a hunt. He enters the cave of the Witch of Graaskal. The Witch and King Fabiano (of Brythunia)'s freshly hypnotized mercenaries (from Nemedia) attack! The Witch burns Conan's chest with her hand. The now marked barba...

Jim Zub's Frozen Faith part IV: The Hidden World. Horsa and Niord bring Conan (still clutching his gossamer garment clearly never fashioned by human hands) to their Aesir War Camp. Conan eats and reflects on his past. He's a boy again helping his metalsmith father. An earthquake hits, his dad thinks it is Crom sliding his feet. We learn that Lihamm "The Tree" (beheaded by Brissa way back in Conan: The Barbarian #2) thinks that earthquakes are actually Devils moving around underground. Hence the saying Crom's devils. Back to reality. Gorm (the one that saw Atali on the bloody field of Wolraven) comments on the stew, Conan thinks he's talking about his mental state. Did Conan really encounter a Goddess? Conan questions his senses and reality. While daydreaming about the daughter of Ymir, Conan gets hit behind the head by a jealous Osmin (the friend of Bergen from issue #14). We get another flashback of Conan's youth. Alfred E. Neuman hits Conan over the hea...