So Conan, then? Conan has got to be the best series out right now. I would even venture to say that all other series could be burned and still the nerdy-world, which we call home, could be pleasantly happy with and over-satisfied by the team down at Conan Comics. (That would be the name of the new company, if all others were torched.)

To those people who enjoy a good lynching, let me suggest that, though you may be unhappy about what may or may not have been a comic book series entitled “Secret War”, it is imperative that, as you go about destroying the comic industry with your sonic matter-crumbling whining, you grant full Diplomatic Immunity and partial-deification to the following individuals: Kurt Busiek (story), Cary Nord and Tom Mandrake (poop-yourself-good art), Dave Stuart (untouchably the best colorist in the biz), and the rest of the gnarled battle-worn folks down at Conan Plaza.

Issue 12 is excellent. Busiek introduces us to a new character of mysterious and sexy proportions. She is a fighter and, due to a camp-side chat betwixt Conan and herself, we learn of the happy circumstances that made her into the fear-nothing killing machine that any merchant-daddy would be proud of. Actually, her story is unbelievably gruesome, miserable, and downright criminal. And, it is drawn to perfection by Nord and Mandrake. Told by “Janissa” herself, the story is given to the reader in a cold, remote, and detached manner. Here Busiek reveals himself as not only a master of tale-weaving, but as a developer of characters. There is as much revealed about Janissa via the manner of her telling, as there is through the story itself. Also, this is not a stand-alone issue. It ties into the previous issue, “The God and The Bowl”, and it is not mentioned as to what story-arc or which part of the overriding tale we are at currently. This is yet another great aspect of the Conan series. It is an ongoing adventure, a quest of a man who allows fate and the gods to determine his every course of action.

If I wore a hat it would be off to the team at Conan. I have rarely esteemed a book so highly. I think that it is also important to say that a story like this needs no art. Oftentimes great stories come with mediocre, poor, or rushed art because a great writer saps the budget of a project. This is not the case at Conan. The art is astounding and is comprised of cutting and gritty perfection. It is hard for me to be so enthralled by one book since I read dozens a week, but let me say this: If you know people that read; whether they read comics, novels, medical journals, sports pages, or economic forecasts, if they are able to understand the English language, they will love this book. Simply put, there is no better comic. Wizard should have these guys at the top of their top-ten artists/writers list; or else create a new category with Busiek, Nord, and Mandrake called: "Who You Wish You Could Be".