The Chronicles of Conan Volume 2: Rogues in the House and Other Stories

The second volume in this collected series runs along the same lines as the first: a re-coloured trip into Marvel's fantasy archives, following the progress of Robert E. Howard's pulp character.

Despite collecting a near complete stream of episodes from the monthly comics, there's less coherence to this series than in the previous volume. Although some characters are carried through more than one adventure, there are also a few one-off stories that feel like they could be slotted in anywhere, rather than continuing a broader narrative. We found the most interesting stories to be those that dealt with power and corruption, especially in key religious figures - give us these stories with a bit of substance over the giant spider wrestling any day.

Windsor-Smith's artwork remains occasionally unsatisfying, especially when attempting expression in close-up. Whereas his action is dynamic and full of movement, his faces can slip into all too similar looks, with rectangular faces and square jaws appearing on most of the human characters of note.

Fantasy fans will relish this re-mastered trip through a timeless saga but there's nothing here to attract the casual bystander.

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