The reading of this volume begins uninterestingly, because… in a prison wagon. Conan, possessed by the power of a magic sword, is captured by warriors from the exotic Khitai. This will start a whole series of fascinating, bloody and even terrifying adventures. Welcome to Lotus Land!
Howard’s China
I have already mentioned in the introduction what an unfortunate situation our hero found himself in. Captured by the warriors of Khitaju, he heads straight to a land that resembles China known from our world. Presenting a culture that is completely alien to the main character is always a challenge for the creators, which they managed very well here. The Land of the Lotus has been shown here beautifully and with attention to even the smallest details. Moreover, the reader can easily feel that Conan doesn’t quite fit in here. Both the barbarian and the audience have to relearn their unfamiliar surroundings.
Conan visits the Far East
While in captivity, Conan meets the mysterious Meiwei. This acquaintance will start an interesting adventure that will eventually lead them to the emperor of this land. Along the way, however, they will meet the immortal leader of the rebels, take part in skirmishes and battles, face monstrous gorillas … oh, believe me, you will not complain about the lack of action. The whole thing is presented in dynamic, realistic drawings. Of course, there is no shortage of vividly shown violence, for which, after all, the adventures of Conan of Cimmeria are famous. Blood pours liters, heads fall thickly, and the barbarian, as usual, comes out of the clash without much damage to his health.
Aging Barbarian
About halfway through the volume, Conan leaves Khitaj, and readers will follow his sea voyage to lands more familiar to him. There will be plenty of plot surprises, which will eventually turn into a collection of slightly shorter notebooks. The closing story of Oblivion is a real masterpiece, showing us the titular barbarian already at an advanced age. As it turns out, even as an old man he has to face the specters of his past. A very interesting story, worth reading the entire Lotus Land just for it .
Short novels on the podium
One of the short stories in this collection also won my appreciation. A civilized man is a clash with three warriors. Shown extremely realistically, without embellishments. Pure Conan style combat. Yet another comic book tells the story of a treasure hunt that the barbarian went on… completely drunk! I wasn’t expecting a comedic twist here, and yet that’s exactly what we get. There is also one story that will probably give you a headache when reading it, because Conan characters from three different time spaces will meet at the same time.
Jim Zub feels it
Screenwriter Jim Zub definitely feels the vibe of Conan the Barbarian. Subsequent volumes coming out of his pen do not disappoint fans. Cooperation with the cartoonist Cory Smith also gives very attractive yields. The next volumes are already in preparation, and after reading the Land of the Lotus I am actually calm about their success. The only problem? After Lotus Land ends , we don’t really know what to expect from the sequel. The predecessor of this volume, The Crucible , directly connected to the plot presented here. Well, maybe it’s the surprise that will be the strength of the upcoming comic?
