Review: Conan The Cimmerian #20

Conan and his group of bandits attracts the attention of a rival group. Will Conan listen to their suggestion of "working" in their own territories? Conan and his men are tough but can they take them on as well as avoid the King's attention? 
 

The Good:

Conan's so cool when confronted by a guy whose fingers he cut off, "I've sliced many men. Am I to remember them all?" It's also cool seeing that Conan is a smart guy. When someone tries quoting philosophy to Conan, he finishes the quote. The art and color compliment each other in setting the tone of the story. It almost has an older feel to it, as if we are reading a classic Conan story. It's nice that we see there are different layers to Conan and having a multi-part story gives more meat to the overall arc.
 

The Bad:

When you read a Conan comic, you expect action and lots of it. Don't get me wrong, we do get some here. There's a nice battle scene. Perhaps I just wanted more. In its defense, the more...political aspects do add more dimension to the character and the book. I'm sure we can expect some fun times in the next issue (part 3 of 3).
 

The Verdict:

I'm not a long time Conan reader. I do like what I see here. While I did want to see more action, this issue shows that there is more to Conan than just seeing him hack away at people. Giving this story a three issue run seems just the right number to set things up and we'll see the final payoff next issue. There is action and suspense. We get a sort of cliffhanger that makes you want to come back next issue to see what Conan will do after the events here. It's a solid 4 out of 5. I may finally become a regular Conan reader after this arc.