Conan the Barbarian strikes again in a collection of five comics, “Trophy”, “The Daughters of Midora”, “Kiss of the Undead”, “Island of No Return” and “Children of the Sun”, all of which include his typical head smashing, limb slicing and brute force. In this issue, the readers are exposed to the Cimmerian in a different light which captures the violent Conan and empahsizes his theivery and mercenarial prowess.

Each and every issue in the collection tells a different story and builds up the Conan character tree in several different ways. For example, the first story in the collection, “Trophy”, portrays the barbarian more as a master thief rather than a savage. There is a lighter side to all of his mischief within the story and this provides for a series of stories that are all distinct from one another. It was a nice change of pace to see Conan as less of a barbarian and more of a mastermind, although it is important to note that a majority of the stories contain the appropriate amount of bloodshed. Another aspect of the collection that is of interest is the implementation of the supernatural, namely the undead, within the stories. Although the stories themselves seem to be shorter than usual, the collection provides a taste of different shades of Conan.

The artistic aspect of the collection is astounding. Each story in the collection is illustrated by a different artist, which adds to the differential depictions of Conan as a character. The artistic design in each story is lucid and appealing in every way. Even in the last story, “Children of the Sun”, the art, although somewhat less intricate than the previous art, develops an aesthetically appealing feel that amplifies Conan’s character. This collection is a must have for all Conan fans, and worth the read for those who have not read any of the barbarian’s stories at all.