Plot: This issue takes place after Conan #50. Conan is returning home to his native land of Cimmeria, when he comes across a band of Vanir raiders intent on plunder. Naturally, Conan takes an instant dislike to them.

Comments: Based upon a poem by the name of “Cimmeria” by Robert E. Howard himself, Conan of Cimmeria #0, penned by Timothy Truman (Scout, Jonah Hex), accomplishes a feat most improbable. It converts a tale from one medium to another and actually builds on it. There’s an atmosphere that is brought to life amidst these pages through the haunting imagery of Tomas Giorello (Star Wars: Empire, Star Wars: Clone Wars). Conan is rendered in all of his black-haired, sullen-eyed, melancholy, grim glory. There is a savagery to his Conan, coupled with sad, almost homesick edge, granted to the character through the captions taken directly from Robert E. Howard’s poetry. Kudos also have to be given to Jose Villarrubia (Wolverine, Ghost Rider), the colorist on this strip. It’s not often that I actually notice a colorists work in a comic, and when I do, it’s normally because he didn't do that good a job. Not so here. Villarrubia does an awesome job of bringing the harsh climate and harsher times of this Cimmerian adventure to life, using wraithlike colours for the characters in the fight scene, a vivid red for the gore (which stands out brilliantly) and a myriad of eye-pleasing hues for a pair of splash pages that chronicle Conan’s past adventures. Some Conan purists may argue that the events that occur in this issue do not actually occur in the poem it is based upon, but I beg to differ. Poem speaks of the savagery of Cimmerian life, the sheer beauty of the landscape, the very poetry of the land, and Conan the Cimmerian #0 does a wonderful job of adding to this. Plus there are bucket loads of blood, and that can’t be bad, can it?

Final Word: A great read for those of us who are familiar with the poem and/or the character and world of Conan, and also a great place to start for new readers of the mythos. Conan the Cimmerian #0, though painstakingly short, is brilliant read from cover to cover.

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