Frank Giacoia – Page 2 – The Stop Button

If Herb Trimpe spent as much time on his figures as he did on the shading lines, his Ka-Zar story might not have been hideously ugly. It’s actually passable–ambitious at times even–until the dinosaurs show up. Trimpe can’t draw dinosaurs.

Roy Thomas scripts the story, which is an extended chase and fight scene. The narration’s weak and the dialogue’s weak. Ka-Zar is annoying with his Tarzan speaking, but he also lacks any personality. Sure, he’s got a sabertooth tiger for a sidekick… but it doesn’t make either compelling.

And Thomas’s conclusion is inept.

Then Gerry Conway and Gene Colan do Black Panther versus Doctor Doom. Frank Giacoia isn’t the best inker for Colan, but he’s not bad either. Sadly, Conway’s script is annoying beyond belief. He constantly questions the characters in the narration. I’m not even sure what person it is.

Overall, aside from Colan, it’s a waste.

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This issue’s based on a Howard poem; it’s hard to say how much Thomas added on his own without reading the poem. It seems like he includes it at one point and, if he does, he added a lot.

Thomas’s approach is a little different than before–five issues in, the series doesn’t have a consistent tone of stories, though a mix of battle and quest might be accurate. Conan’s the protagonist and active in the story. Thomas even adds a little dimension to the character (not a bunch, but a little). Even though the issue opens with Conan in a town and ends with him on the road, the end is strong enough to give the book an “on the road,” journeying feel to it.

Windsor-Smith has a couple pages of spotty art–a silly-looking demon in particular. Maybe it’s the Giacoia inks. The rest looks good.