The first half or so of this issue is worrisome. Williamson brings in a whole bunch of fantasy world vocabulary for a flashback–the structure is fairly simple, present day on Earth with Conan grown-up, the fantasy world in flashback when he’s still an Earth kid adjusting. And while Bressan’s art is fine–his action is better–there’s not much one can do with a fantasy world anymore. They’re standard, thanks to comics, movies, video games and television.

The first half also has the pained meeting between brothers–the younger brother now much older (and Conan). Williamson’s sincere in the scene, but it doesn’t offer anything new.

Luckily, the finale has something also not new, but still awesome. Conan breaks free in the police station and it’s the Terminator only with a magical warrior. Good character work in the sequence too. It pulls the issue around just in time.