Right now, Conan is perhaps one of the best, if not the best, comic series out. Busiek and Nord have created a brilliant and amazing work of comic history in the midst of a comic era plagued with lameness. I would venture to say that none of their work is to be missed by anyone who labels himself a comic fan/collector/big, stinking nerd. Unfortunately, this series was not made by Busiek and Nord, and it, in fact, can be missed by anyone, regardless of what they call themselves, without any regret.

The story of the Jewels Gwahlur is actually pretty good and clever, though I get really tired of them going back and forth between who has control of which fake goddess. And I also thought that it was a bit suspect that Yelaya looked exactly like the goddess, but these problems are trifling compared to the rest. The first of which is the artwork. Now I realize that the art is meant to look old-school, but that is no excuse for the crude and cartoonish nonsense that filled my brain with loathing. Well, that’s a little bit far, but the art was crappy. As if this was not enough, the comic is constantly and ruthlessly narrated without pause or pity. It almost reads like a novel, and don’t get me wrong, I like novels. But there is something annoying about reading a comic where each picture that you can already see is described to you in detail in a little yellow box.

Overall, I would say that this series was alright, but I’d rather the ten dollars it cost me.

I’ve had mornings like this.

-Fumanchu