The Hall of the Dead and Other Stories (Conan, Vol. 4) [Paperback]

Kurt Busiek (Author), Mike Mignola (Illustrator), Tim Truman (Illustrator), Cary Nord (Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2007

Conan: The Halls of the Dead concludes writer Kurt Busiek's (JLA/Avengers, Astro City) critically acclaimed run, paving the way for new writer Tim Truman (Conan and the Songs of the Dead) and featuring a story by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola! Eisner award-nominated artist Cary Nord (Daredevil), and Eisner award-winning color artist Dave Stewart (Ultimate Fantastic Four, DC: The New Frontier) continue their groundbreaking run on Dark Horse's best-selling Conan series with three of the best writers in comics today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (July 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593077750
• ISBN-13: 978-1593077754
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best, and likely to remain the high point, September 25, 2007

By 

Richard A. Tucker "Tucker at large" (Pembroke Pines, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hall of the Dead and Other Stories (Conan, Vol. 4) (Paperback)

This 4th volume will be hard to beat. Unlike a complaint I read that the art is not Cary Nord's best, that it's "sketchy", well I cheerfully disagree. In fact I'd say this was Nord's most solid looking work to date. The coloring affects created by Dave Stewart are also the best so far. These tales are an uncluttered stream of the closest attempts at Getting Robert Howard's feel into these stories yet. What's funny about that is that other than the fragment, "Hall of the Dead", an unfinished Conan tale that has been finished almost masterfully by Mike Mignola, there not a lick of Howard's prose in the lot. Kurt Busiek, sadly, finally comes into his own at the end of his run. His writing feels downright channelled by Conan's creator and author. Even Tim Truman delivers a gutsy tale of Nestor coming to Conan's aid when you least expect him to do such a thing. The focus on Mignola's tale finishing out the fragment was a natural selection. His Hellboy and BPRD tales are very evocative of H.P. Lovecraft cosmic horror tales. Robert Howard was very much an admirer and also a colleague of Lovecraft's and this tale is one of the the best invoking that spirit of the ancient horror which Lovecraft loved to weave his tales around.
I have a prediction: despite the best efforts in the future I find it hard to believe this will ever be done better. I know that sounds pretty arrogant and cynical but this machine was really rolling despite having three different writers. The fact that these stories flowed so seamlessly is an example of a good vibe, a sound spirit and a solidly shared, creative effort.
For me this series could end right here and I'd be happy.
Here's hoping I'm proven wrong.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the Best Volume Yet, August 11, 2007

By 

CB - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hall of the Dead and Other Stories (Conan, Vol. 4) (Paperback)

In this latest installment of Dark Horse's Conan comics, everyone's favorite Cimmerian brigand is still in the thief-city of Zamora and gaining quite the reputation as a master burglar - until his most recent exploit runs him afoul of a jealous local thief, his latest lover, and a powerful magistrate who wants his head. Chased out of town by a veritable army and winning through only by the skin of his teeth, Conan finds himself in a ruined, forgotten city ruled by unspeakable creatures - and its former inhabitants. Can Conan survive his explorations of the Halls of the Dead? And if so, what other dangers await him beyond? You'll have to pick up this volume to find out.

One of the more interested elements in this volume is the fact that it marks the end of Kurt Busiek's run on the comic (he wrote the first two chapers) and includes three installments written by Hellboy's Mike Mignola, as well as two by Timothy Truman (who you might remember from his work on Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo in the 1990s, among others). The Mignola installments are an especially satisfying treat - it is noted in the book that Mignola provided page layouts for series penciler Cary Nord to work off of, and the pages of Mignola's three chapters practically bristle with his singular style; fans of Hellboy will delight in seeing how Mignola's visions of monsters, undead, and just plain creepiness translates into a Conan yarn - and how beautifully it works. Truman's installments are entertaining as well - by turns toungue-in-cheek, brutal, intense and amusing; and the amazing artwork of Cary Nord and Dave Stewart will stun you throughout. Not to be missed!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, August 2, 2007

By 

B. Rodrigues "Maver" (Harrison, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hall of the Dead and Other Stories (Conan, Vol. 4) (Paperback)

First off I'd like to say that I'm a huge Conan fan, and I love these stories by Kurt Busiek. It's just great how he integrates the original work and create something new from it. In this series we're introduced with new writer Tim Truman who will be taking over for Kurt Busiek, and in all respects the book was ok. The storyline was interesting but I felt like the whole thing was rushed and it seemed like it was not finished. I guess i expected more after waiting for awhile for this book to come out. On top of that I love the artwork of Cary Nord (Probably the reason why I love these comics so much and also the reason I noticed it right away), but in this installment the artwork changed a little, but it still kept the essence from the previous ones. I found it to be more sketchy if anything. So overall not the best of the installments despite having 3 writers including Mike Mignola, but it's still worth the read.