Conan is probably the best series going right now. The writing by Kurt Busiek is unmatched in its execution and his stories are some of the coolest and most interesting I have ever read. The art by Cary Nord and Thomas Yeates is gritty, lined perfection. How such a simple looking style can convey so much and contain so much detail, I will never know. There is also the traditional and very talented coloring style of Dave Stewart. I must also give all kinds of props to the cover by Leinil Francis Yu, who captured Janessa’s upper boob cover flawlessly, and he actually drew Conan with a shirt on, on a cover. Now that is ballsy.

Now to the story, Conan has fallen in with Kalanthes, the priest of Ibis. Strangely enough, this is the same priest of Ibis that the creature Conan killed was sent to murder. (See Conan #11 The God in The Bowl, or my review of it on the sight). Coincidence? I doubt it. (For more on how Conan got caught up in the priest’s journey, see Peblees’s review of #12 also on the site). Kalanthes is on his way to Hanumar to destroy the eye of Tik-Pulonga, a mystical gem that Set desperately seeks. (For those that don’t know, Set is the evil serpent god that often is involved in Conan stories). Conan has agreed to escort Kalanthes to Hanumar in return for his freedom along with the lovely Janessa, a demon ravaged death machine (who sports the upper boob cover mentioned in Inane Discussion 4).

There is a problem, however. Thoth-Amon, and evil sorcerer of Set is bent on stopping Kalanthes and taking the eye of Tik-Pulonga. A snake that was sent by Thoth bites Kalanthes’s servant and good friend, Davo, and his terrible illness is slowing the whole party down. Kalanthes will not abandon him, however, and so the procession continues as best they can. Davo has a turn for the worst, and when he is inspected, he vomits up a cloud of insects that form the face of Thoth-Amon who confronts Kalanthes. Here we get a glimpse into the mystery of Kalanthes when Thoth says that they have been battling for centuries, and Kalanthes then calls Thoth “young.” The journey continues in more haste until Davo can last no longer and erupts into a huge beast of bugs and tentacles. It proceeds to rip the group apart until Conan and Janessa work together to heave a huge rock onto it, which knocks it down the mountain. Kalanthes’s men decide to stay and fight while Janessa, Conan, and Kalanthes make a run for the city on the horse they have less. Well, the men don’t last long, because Thoth’s creature is back in a moment. Just when it seems that they are going to make it to the city, Kalanthes notices something strange about the city and its guards. They are covered in the same bugs that came out of Davo.

As the story progresses, Kalanthes becomes more and more of a mystery, but we some into his past and his power. Conan is having some trouble getting along with Janessa, but it seems that the two of them are developing some common ground. This comic also has some truly great artwork in it. If you don’t check this comic out, you are missing out big time. Nobody wants to miss out big time, but the thing is, you don’t have to.