Timothy TrumanReseñas

What a great series. Thank to Dark Horse's omnibus edition I've become a big fan of both Conan and his creator Robert E. Howard. The story and art in this volume was a great as the previous. Can't wait to read the third volume as well.

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/VpQZBpinKrg

Enjoy!

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/b0tNOMFKsM8

Enjoy!

Good story, lots of creatures and enemies, sorcerers and beautiful women. And a great characterization for Conan's sidekick. But ... This Conan is much more willing to chop off a head at the slightest confrontation, than Howard's Conan. Conan has always been comfortable with violence, but the sex and violence here feel gratuitous.

Ostander's Grimjack reminds me of another genre noir detective Glen Cook's Garrett. Both characters are war vets, friends with are honorable criminals and both driven by a code of personal honor. I love them both. It's been a long time, 20 or 30 years since I've read any Grimjack but this is a good place to start, an even better place is "Grimjack Omnibus, Volume 1" which includes these 1st 7 issues of the comic, plus 5 more along with his first appearance in Starslayer 10-17.

Great release of the comic, it would have received 5 stars from me if it included Starslayer 18 the issue that Grimjack appears in the Starslayer storyline.

how the Kents came to Kansas as abolitionists and settled

I continue to enjoy this series. The author and artists have changed, but they still have good material to work from, and the story is very good. If you have followed the series, you can see some differences in the art style, but overall, the feel of the series continues to be very good. The characters continue to show depth. Conan continues to grow and evolve. He continues to see who his friends and true enemies really are. And then, there is the confrontation with the red priest, which I found interesting and pretty neat. Without giving away much, I can say this is a pretty good story from Howard's stories. In addition, this volume contains a nice introduction, and some good supplementary material about the title story. Overall, a good volume, and it is certainly worth it to continue following the series.

Normally, I really enjoy reading Conan. With this omnibus, I have mixed feelings.

On the positive side, the quality of the art is very good. A lot of detail goes into important images, he uses the page changes well and mixes the image formats on each page in a pleasing manner.

I also like the pacing. I find most comics paced too fast. The authors don’t make good use of timing or pacing.

The stories are decent, I wouldn’t rate them much above that. It’s moderately typical of Conan stories and they can become generic. These stories had a lot of the generic qualities.

On the negative side, I didn’t really feel like this is the same Conan as the Robert Howard stories. There is much more emphasis on the violence and his relationship to Crom is completely different. That doesn’t detract from the value of the story unless you are looking for a traditional Conan.

The other element that bothered me was a setting error. In a place where clocks are a rare wonder and, if I remember correctly, never appears in the original stories, Conan casually blurted out “I’ll be back in an hour or two.” Although minor to many, this really detracted from the setting for me. I doubt Conan has ever nor would ever have need nor understand mechanical time.

Overall, the book is a mild diversion, I can’t recommend it if you like the original Conan.½

I'm confused as to why half of the Jedi Council was needed to help with these negotiations. And the last two installments didn't even feel properly connected to the rest of the story line. Plus, like we even needed more proof that the Jedi Order did absolutely fuck all to address slavery in the galaxy. They came across at least two different sets of slaves in this arc alone that were just ignored/accepted as business as usual rather than freed and helped to reintegrate. All-in-all, not a particularly impressive story arc.

This is a continuation of the Republic comic series and continues to follow Ki-Adi Mundi. Mundi has joined the Jedi council and his first assignment is to go to Tatooine and track down a wayward Jedi named Sharad Hett, who has become the leader of a Tusken tribe. Mundi is being tracked by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing, who has a vendetta against the Jedi and a penchant for collecting their lightsabers through extreme prejudice. I continue to dislike Mundi as a character; he's way too pompous and self-important for my taste. But I really liked Aurra Sing and Sharad Hett, who both offer different critiques of the Jedi Order and their standard modus operandi. I'm kind of upset with how Sharad's story ends and his son's decision to join Mundi. I wish A'Sharad had pushed back against Mundi more. Maybe he will in the future, but in this collection, I don't love it.

Access a version of the below that includes illustrations on my blog.

Hawkworld is definitely of its time. Like Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters (1987), Black Orchid (1989), Adam Strange: The Man of Two Worlds (1990), Twilight (1990-91), and probably others I don't know about, Hawkworld was a miniseries of three double-length issues that dusted off a slightly moribund character (or characters) for a new era, by going darker and more intense. All of these series except Man of Two Worlds resulted in follow-ups, if not ongoings, so clearly something about this formula worked.

Hawkworld is a little different from the formula, though. Longbow Hunters, Black Orchid, and Man of Two Worlds all acknowledge the history of their characters, even as they tweak it-- they're more what we might call re-origin stories, crucibles that take pre-existing characters and give them a new set-up for ongoing adventures. Hawkworld, however, presents a new origin for Katar "Hawkman" Hol. In fact, strictly speaking, there's no superheroics in this book at all, as Hol adopts no secret identity; the book is entirely set on his homeworld of Thanagar.

I don't know much about Hawkman, to be honest, but this is the most intrigued I've ever been by him, and I found the depiction of Thanagar much more interested than what was seen in some of the 2000s space comics I've read. Thanagar is the capital of an interstellar empire, but one where cultural rot has set in. It's a morally complex set-up: our protagonist is the one who's afraid of outside cultural influences! The Thanagarian elite no longer produce anything worthwhile themselves, but depend on other worlds for their food, music, and entertainment, especially mind-altering drugs. They also import slave labor, but when the laborers have served their purpose, they get dumped onto the surface, the "Downside" away from the towers where the elite fly. Katar is a Thanagarian police officer, the son of Thanagar's foremost scientist, who asks for a job patrolling the Downside even though he could have had a cushy desk position. Unlike others, Katar cares about the history of his people-- a consistent mark of the story are monuments to Thanagar's past that only Katar cares about.

As you might imagine, Katar discovers more and more about the rot of his civilization, even as he rots himself, tempted into taking alien drugs by the attractive Shayera, the intriguing daughter of one of his father's friends. The story itself is pretty standard stuff, to be honest, but writer and penciller Timothy Truman elevates it by telling it well, with lots of details of writing and art alike. We actually don't know a whole lot about Thanagar beyond the broad strokes, but it feels like a fully lived in, real world. My only real objection is that Katar's principal opponent, Byth, seems a little conveniently too responsible for all the evils of an entire decadent civilization. Though one of the things I did like is the extent to which Katar himself is shown to be culpable, and how he spends a long time coming to terms with that culpability and making restitution for it. Until he's forced to fight again, Katar doesn't want to take down the government or anything; he wants to supply medicine and food to the inhabitants of the Downside.

The story ends with a set-up for new adventures; Katar and Shayera learn Byth has escaped to "some small green planet far beyond the borders of the empire." It also ends with Katar attempted to improve the plight of the Downside by working the society from the inside. All of this was followed up on in the Hawkworld ongoing; I've read the first issue thus far, and I look forward to seeing how the world introduced here is developed, though I'm disappointed that Katar heads off to Earth in issue #1, as I'd like to see more of this Thanagar. I know Hawkworld is notorious for its continuity issues, but as a story on its own merits, it's a solid re-imagining of a character I didn't care about, and I can see why a follow-up was commissioned.

DC Comics Space Heroes: « Previous in sequence | Next in sequence »

After six excellent volumes of Conan adventures, Truman, Giorello, and Corben return the adventurer to his birthplace. Within Giorello's beautifully rendered stories, Truman and famed underground comic artist Corben, creator of the mythical Den, explore the life of Conan's grandfather Connacht. Complete with the appearance of Conan's first love, a meeting with his mother, supernatural nasties, and lots of bloody violence, the rollicking good adventure of Conan Volume 7: Cimmeria offers a new addition to this well-chronicled life.

Joe R. Lansdale teamed up with his frequent cohort, artist Timothy Truman, on Conan and the Songs of the Dead, an ultra-violent (four head decapitations in the first six pages alone!), action packed opus from Dark Horse. Much like the portrayal of the eponymous hero in Dark Horse's regular monthly title and Robert E. Howard's original books, this is the thinking man's Conan who understands the consequences of his actions. Truman rose to the occasion rendering some of the best artwork of his storied career.

"That's Jonah Hex his own damn self. He's killed more men than Hell has souls."

"He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers." - John Albano

One of my favorite authors takes on a comic book legend! And it works out all right! I think Lansdale's "Reverend" is much more my style, but his "Hex" isn't too bad at all! And both characters get their shot in the town of Mud Creek! You get three tales in here, my favorite being "Two-Gun Mojo" and my least favorite being "Riders of the Worm and Such" (though I love the title!) Jonah battles zombie Wild Bill Hickok, Lovecraftian worms, and then has to save a talkin' bear child! Not a bad way to spend the day reading! Just don't ask him how he got his scars...

That was just alright.

Great sci-fi/fantasy comic, very entertaining, with loads of action. I was impressed with the female characters, who were all pretty badass and smart. Some younger readers may not get the Michael Jackson jokes or the spaghetti western episode, but who knows maybe they will.

Good art, lots of action. a fun read!

I can still recall my entry to comics reading as an adult. It began with the early issues of Grimjack from Chicago-based First Comics, written by John Ostrander, with art by Timothy Truman. That book got me excited about the comics medium in a way that traditional capes never could, and I really liked Truman's art. In the many years since, I've come to respect Truman's own talents as a writer, and I've been pleased with the work I've seen him do on the Dark Horse Conan books. Ironically, my affection for him as an artist has not been so durable. The Free Companions collection of issues 14 and 16 through 21 of the Conan the Cimmerian title does a fine job of showcasing Truman's writing, while his art suffers by comparison to the two other artists whose work is presented in the same volume: Joe Kubert and Tomas Giorello.

Kubert's distinctive style is well-suited to sword and sorcery, and his contribution is a frame-story for "Home for the Hunt": Kubert shows the court of Khoraja, while Truman's interior tale is a recollection of Conan's Cimmerian youth. The body of the book is the "Free Companions" novella, recounting Conan's early blunders in national politics. Truman's art is central here, but it is framed by a story in Giorello's images, which continues into the epilogue "Kozaki." There are also some full-page interstitial pieces by artists Cary Nord and Joseph Michael Linsner. Of all these artists, Giorello and Nord do the best job of capturing Conan and the Hyborian Age, as far as I'm concerned.

Truman's development of a continuous narrative to cover the activities of the still-young adventuring Conan invites comparison to the many such developed by pastiche writers since the 1950s. Truman does as well as any and better than most. His work as a comics scripter is doubtless informed by his experience as an artist, and he is adept at letting the pictures carry the bulk of the storytelling, while his dialogue is credible and dynamic, and his narrator's voice captures the feel of the Robert E. Howard original.

Graphic novel. Ostensibly the history of Superman's KENT forebears in the years 1855-1900? but really almost a history lesson on Bleeding Kansas through the end of the Civil War.

Stunning artwork. Faithful adaptation of Robert E. Howard's original story. Couldn't ask for anything more!

Conan: Iron Shadows in the Moon and Other Stories by Timothy Truman, Tomas Giorello, Darick Robertson and Jose Villarrubia, is another excellent Conan graphic novel from Dark Horse Books. This is volume 10 of the Dark Horse series and I have enjoyed all ten of them thus far. I have been a fan of Robert E. Howard’s big fella since I was a teenager, when I read many of his Conan stories. I must say that the interpretation of Howard’s tales, written by Truman and beautifully illustrated Giorello and Villarrubia, are marvelous. In fact, I believe that these Dark Horse graphic novels enhance the reader’s experience of the brutal nature of Conan as he pillages through his savage environments and battles dangerous beasts and villainous armies. The artwork in these volumes adds a dimension of experience that cannot be attained through the written word alone. This particular adventure joins the barbarian after he is the sole survivor of a horrendous battle, and he is on the run. Conan encounters a beautiful woman (Olivia), whom he rescues from a cruel shah, and allows her to escape with him to an island in the Vilayet Sea. Conan prevails over vicious assaults by ruthless pirates and supernatural monsters to protect her in an action-packed and suspense-driven tale. This story reveals Conan as slightly more sympathetic and vulnerable warrior, but still shows plenty of his horrific violent nature. In addition, Truman used Olivia as a narrator for this story, which is Robert E.Howard rarely used, and never for a Conan story. However, I thought it worked very well in this story. This book also contains two bonus stories, i.e., Conan and the Mad King of Gaul and Conan: the Weight of the Crown, both written by Darick Robertson. These very enjoyable bonus stories depict a young, savage Conan, who had a lot to learn. I thought this volume was excellent and a must read for all Conan fans. I fact, Conan fans should read all the Dark Horse Conan graphic novels.

Muy bueno. Brutal y sangriento -como una historia de Conan debe ser-, pero muy bien escrito y dibujado. Y sutil y melancolico a la vez, aunque usted no lo crea.. De lo mejor de Conan hasta ahora.

Conan: Free Companions is another excellent Conan graphic novel from Dark Horse Books. Writer Timothy Truman and artists Tomas Giorello and Joe Kubert, with color artist Jose Villarrubia, expand upon “events alluded to in Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories” to produce original new stories in this book. It has the requisite savage battles and warfare, the villainous treachery, and the sorcery that are part of all authentic Conan stories. The story depicts Conan as the commander of a large army. However, it also reveals an extremely beaten and vulnerable Conan who almost succumbs to his injuries, alone in a deadly wilderness environment where his enemies are still searching for him. Of course, his determined and fearless mindset, and his passion to seek revenge enables the barbarian to recover his fight-at-all-costs approach to survival. I believe this Conan graphic novel is certainly one of the best, if not the best, that I have read thus far in the Dark Horse Books series.

Conan: Black Colossus, by Timothy Truman (writer), Tomas Giorello and Jose Villarrubia (artists), is Volume 8 in Dark Horse Books’ Conan graphic novel series. It is a terrific series with great writing, accurate depictions of the ruthless yet appealing barbarian, and exquisite color art work. This volume finds Conan fighting for an army of mercenaries and eventually becoming the commander of a large army to save Princess Yasmela of Khoraja from the army of an evil wizard, Natohk. Although Conan still retains his ruthless barbarian personality, his leadership of a large army reveals him in a different role. According to the Afterward in this book, this story is based upon a short story (Black Colossus) by Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan. Howard’s Conan stories were brief and presented as succinctly as possible with little explanation of details and context. Howard also deliberately published his Conan stories out of order. However, Dark Horse Books is attempting to present these stories in chronological order and with additional content to add context for the reader. In my opinion they have been very successful at enhancing the reader’s experience of the barbarian’s exploits while still maintaining the integrity of Howard’s Conan and his world. Black Colossus is another entertaining, interesting, and beautifully illustrated Conan graphic novel from Dark Horse Books.