The Cimmerian: Iron Shadows in the Moon #3

The Cimmerian: Iron Shadows in the Moon #3

Ablaze Publishing 2021

By Virginie Augustin

Lettered by Dezi Sienty

Besieged on all sides! Conan and Olivia must escape from the island, but that is easier said than done while being pursued by a band of blood thirsty pirates, iron statues that come to life in the moonlight, and something inhumanly strong stalking them in the woods. Time is running out and the enemies are piling up in the epic conclusion of this tale!

Ever since I read my first book from Ablaze I've been a massive fan of the company and the books they put out. I’d love to see the Empire State Vampire story continue but with all these arcs of the Cimmerian is brilliantly done by different creative teams. We get a short story taken right from Robert E. Howard and see the how it is translated in comics form without being censored in any way shape or form. I love the unbridled passion and violence that is inherently Conan since he comes from a time of war and sex which ironically were a simple set of needs to be sated. Life is so much easier when you give in to your desires without succumbing to the pressure of others telling you how to live your life.

I am in love with the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see is phenomenal and that’s thanks to the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story it manages to complete the tale in a logical and beautifully appropriate way.

I’m impressed with the way that we see this structured and how the layers within continue to grow, evolve and strengthen depending on what we see happening. I love that in some ways we know what’s going to happen and in others we’re surprised but regardless if it works with or around the main arc the way they add depth and complexity to the story. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved exceptionally well.

I have the utmost respect for anyone who can do the writing and the artwork and Virginie is to be admired for this because of how well it all looks and feels. The linework is beautiful and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail work is extraordinarily well rendered. That backgrounds are as important to the story as we see them here not only enhance the moments but do wonders in bringing us depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story is magnificently laid down. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a marvellously talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is fabulous! How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is being done with aplomb. I love the techniques that we see in how the colour is laid down and how it leaves such a massive impact on the reader whether that consciously or subconsciously.

This is and has been a pure joy to read. There’s something amazing about seeing Conan unfettered and not being shown as more or even less than he truly is. He isn’t a man of many words but his meanings are usually crystal clear and what Virginie manages to do with this story is relay that feeling of Conan and who he is and what he represents absolutely bloody brilliantly.