Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #3 Review

 

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Jonas Scharf

Colorist: Jão Canola

Letterers: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Editors: Chris Butera & Matt Murray

Cover Artists: Liam Sharp, Scott Campbell & Danica Brine

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 6, 2024

 

In 1936, James Allison sat before his typewriter, spinning weird tales of fantastic adventure. Then, the power of the black stone consumed him. He became its mouthpiece. Caught up in its otherworldly power, James Allison spoke with El Borak, John Conrad, and John Kirowan at the Wanderers Club in Chicago. Yet he also addressed Dark Agnes De Chastillon in 1522, Solomon Kane in 1584, and Conan in the Hyborian Age. As if spinning another yarn, Allison told the heroes they would assemble in the past. What happens when the black stone brings these potent warriors together? Let’s leap into Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #3 and find out!

 

Story

When the Beast from the Black Stone invades Francis Xavier Gordon’s memories, it tears him apart. Now, El Borak is a memory. The Black Stone casts a long shadow over Brissa’s people. She suggests they head toward a monument where the Picts worshipped it. Destroying the statue may break the Black Stone's claim on their lives. But it's a three-day journey, ample time for the Beast to target another victim.

 

The time on the trail gives friends time to process all that occurred. But if it bewilders Conrad and Kirowan, it gives Soloman Kane and Dark Agnes time to bond. Although they hail from different generations, the warriors battled across 16^th-century Europe. It helps that Soloman knows Dark Agnes' native tongue. Both have known great evil, but only one banishes reason and attacks opponents in a raging fury.

 

Conan greets Brissa like an old friend. But in Jim Zub’s story, Conan is the elder. The Cimmerian may see himself as young compared to “codger” Kane. Still, years have passed since Conan and Brissa invaded Thulsa Doom’s dark citadel. In Conan: Battle Of The Black Stone #3, Conan confesses that those years have been glorious. Yet, like Yoda, he isn't sure that wars make one great. Nor is he quite sure about Brissa. Conan has always been loathe to accept sorcery. Now, Brissa wields it to guide their steps and shows an understanding of how the Black Stone perpetuates its evil.

 

Of the occult detectives, John Kirowan has oft been the leader in their supernatural adventures. Now, Kirowan seems depressed, and Conrad bursts with excitement. He can't wait to regale his friends and the public with his exploits. Like Dr John Watson and their late comrade El Borak, Conrad strives to chronicle events so that other investigators can enhance their studies. But first, they must survive their adventure in the Hyborian Age. Then, another problem will await them. If they destroy the monument and free themselves from the Black Stone's power, how will they return to 1936?

 

Art

As the six heroes descend a rise in darkness, Brissa and Conan lead, their weapons stained with blood. With the rising sun, Brissa’s thoughts return to the journey that brought her here. When Conan asks if she will fade away, the scenery fades behind him in Conan: Battle Of The Black Stone #3. After their time apart, Jonas Scharf gives the Hyborian couple three pages to catch up until Brissa unwraps a sliver of stone, and James Allison's spirit leads them through the jungle. As Soloman Kane and Dark Agnes journey side by side for two pages, they seem like kindred spirits, with Kane the elder and Agnes a receptive student. The occult detectives share but a single page. Yet Conrad, formerly the doubter, bursts with energy, while John Kirowan, so oft a boy racing into excitement, brings up the rear, his face dour and devoid of enthusiasm. Like James Allison’s spirit, the smoke from Kirowan’s pipe winds a ghostly trail before him.

 

After their trek through greenery beneath orange skies and cloud-streaked day, green energy rises from a split tree. It is not a lightning strike like the one that fueled Dr Frankenstein with the power of electricity. Once again, it paints the glowing green symbol in the darkness. Orange energy contrasts with green and black, imbuing the action with heightened intensity. Jão Canola paints the skies with blue, white, and orange. The soft texture suggests watercolor or paper fibers absorbing colored pencils unevenly. But orange, green, and pink are the colors of death in Conan: The Battle Of The Black Stone #3. When they haunt backgrounds, heroes die.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith conjure black uppercase words into white dialogue balloons and green narrative boxes. A stately colored font introduces characters and announces the time and location. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Loss robs balloon borders of their integrity and hints at the characters' brokenness over the loss of a friend. Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Neither rage nor positivity can safeguard against a creature that attacks you amid a memory. The monster’s claws sweep through heroes’ souls in Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #3 to reap a rich harvest.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more covers and interior art see my preview at The Dragon's Cache.