The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories (v. 13) [Paperback]

Roy Thomas (Author), John Buscema (Author), Sal Buscema (Author), Ernie Chan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2007

A new era begins for Conan the Barbarian, as he sets out, once more alone, into the savage heart of Hyboria - his wit, his strength, and his blade, his only allies against a flood of foes both human and super-human! Presenting more of the celebrated Roy Thomas/John Buscema Conan the Barbarian run, as well as a special guest artist appearance by Sal Buscema! All featuring completely re-mastered color; all proving once again why Conan is the greatest and most savage Epic Fantasy character of all time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593078374
• ISBN-13: 978-1593078379
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superior, February 1, 2008

By 

Morris G. Vescovi - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories (v. 13) (Paperback)

This entire series of reproductions of the classic Conan comics from the 1960s and 1970s is superior. The details are incredible and the colors are more vivid than in the originals. The paper quality is superior and you will not have to worry about preservation. A great substitute for the originals ( and more affordable).

4.0 out of 5 stars Conan Goes Solo Again, November 14, 2010

By 

Bill Slocum (Norwalk, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories (v. 13) (Paperback)

With its lush jungle vistas and busy cityscapes, Chronicles Of Conan Vol. 13 is a feast for the eyes, especially for fans of lead illustrator John Buscema. Story-wise, it's a nice return to Conan's lone-wolf form after an epic stretch of stories with the she-pirate Bêlit, who in the interests of sticking with Vol. 13 will not be mentioned again in this review.

The collection, with one exception, feature issues that ran from 1979 to 1980 with Conan making his way through the Black Kingdoms of Hyboria. He briefly takes charge of a fierce warrior tribe, the Bamulas, before venturing on to become the captain of a queen's guard in Kush.

The one exception is the first issue, a stand-alone. Though it ran in 1978, "The Thing In The Crypt" pulls us back to Conan in his earliest days as a young barbarian. Here he finds his way into a cave where a desiccated corpse grips a mighty sword. The Buscema doing the penciling here is Sal, not John, but the result is great all the same, overcoming a predictable storyline.

After that, it's on to the Bamulas, who capture Conan and plan to make a sacrifice of him before he turns the tables. First, Conan must triumph over a particularly hostile member of the Bamula tribe and escape a giant man-eating spider. Then he has his work cut out for him as chief when a band of blood-sucking drellick types come a-calling.

This second story, a two-parter, is a high point in Vol. 13, with a curiously perverse moment where Conan finds himself the prisoner of a vampire who wants Conan to become his life partner. It's a bit of a shock when you realize the title, "The Bride Of The Vampire", refers to Conan. Conan, needless to say, is not amused: "I'll die a warrior, when die I must - but I'll not become an undead consort to a monster!" Scripter Roy Thomas keeps the action moving fast, and John Buscema's illustrations are wonderfully grim and eerie.

Vol. 13 also features two of the last Marvel comic adaptions of Conan stories by Conan creator Robert E. Howard. "Vale Of Lost Women" is not considered a Howard highlight, but Thomas crams it all into a single issue in such a way it comes off rather well. The viewpoint throughout the story is not Conan's for a change, but a woman, Livia, in need of rescue. She is being held by the cruel and obese Bajujh, whose depiction by John Buscema is one of his most jaw-dropping. The finale is a bit weak and sudden (rather like Conan's later departure from the Bamulas, a story point which deserved but doesn't get an issue of its own), but "Vale" overall proves how well Thomas could do even with a lesser Howard story in his hands.

The other Howard story, "The Snout In The Dark", was a fragment built up by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter. It actually may be the best of the Conan stories here, a meaty two-parter where Conan finds himself in Kush threading his way between a beautiful but haughty queen, a court of plotters, and an oppressed citizenry on the verge of revolt. Throw in the title character, a strange beast which appears and disappears into the mist dealing death, and you have a nice-moving if slightly formulaic story.

That's the biggest knock to Vol. 13, that the formulaic approach of Conan returns with his becoming a solo entity again. Oddly, the most non-formulaic story, "Whispering Shadows" itself, proves the least worthwhile. It's basically a retelling of "The Thing In The Crypt," even to the point of Conan being chased into the mysterious lair by a pack of wild animals. Conan may never have been more passive a character as he was here, at least not in the stories Thomas scripted, basically watching the big battle from the sidelines.

Thomas's run was coming to an end right about now, which makes the pleasures of Vol. 13 bittersweet. While not the best of the Marvel Conan collections, Vol. 13 is well worth having if you are a fan.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Ridiculously Trivial Correction, August 2, 2010

By 

James Dawson (Woodland Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories (v. 13) (Paperback)

In his afterword for this volume, Roy Thomas says, "Someone did write in a letter about the splash page of #101 that I still recall after all these years. The missive-maven found humor in the fact that the story opened with Conan sitting around roasting a big hunk of meat over a fire, and muttering to himself, "Belit..." To that particular reader, the juxtaposition made it look as if it were the thigh-bone of the late Queen of the Black Coast that the Cimmerian was heating up. Weird these comics fans."

To set the record straight, I was the one who made that remark -- not in a letter to the comic, but in my review ("The Queen Is Dead...Finally") that appeared in issue 50 (October 1979) of The Comics Journal. I thought it was amusing that Conan, after committing the body of his deceased beloved to a flaming ship at the end of issue 100, was seen eating cooked meat while muttering her name at the beginning of the next issue. (That's the juxtaposition to which Roy refers.)

Can't believe more than 30 years have passed since then...by Crom!