Only Myself Left To Conquer

 

With no shortage in the PPC of posts which have highlighted the schemes of Kang the Conqueror, a character who continues to hold my interest to this day, it's probably no surprise that I felt drawn to a limited series launched in the fall of 2021 featuring this man whose mindset and history have been explored so many times but who still manages to reveal facets that bring something new to his story and would be worthy of publication. Yet for the self-titled Kang The Conqueror, co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have taken several elements that have had their day in prior stories (e.g., Ravonna, Rama-Tut, Dr. Doom, Immortus, et al.), and have chosen to re-present them from the perspective of the young man who had just taken on the mantle of Kang and set out on his road of conquest (as opposed to Steve Englehart's "reflections of the pharaoh" approach where Rama-Tut, at 60, had come to regret the path he'd chosen as Kang). That being the case, I had to bear in mind in reading this first issue that, while the Marvel of today continued to rely on its past characters' motivations and ambitions up to a point, it had long since cut the cord to being bound by how their past writers had laboriously shaped and molded the character of Kang.

Nevertheless, Lanzing and Kelly's first page does a fair job by analogy of presenting Kang's legacy as we have come to know it, setting the mood for what is to come--and in so doing, aptly summarizes the often frustrating and, at times, self-defeating schemes that Kang has embarked on to no apparent avail.

Upon turning the page, our writers waste no time in putting aside (a tactful way of saying "discarding") certain alterations to Kang's beginnings made by John Byrne and Roger Stern and instead returning the character to his roots by bringing more focus to the objective of Nathaniel Richards--finally revealed with no uncertainty to be the castle of Doom, a treasure trove of the past where Nathaniel hopes to find answers to questions that, in his words, he "could never even think to ask."

The arrival of Kang is probably as much a surprise to us as it is to Nathaniel, as unexpected as it is intriguing. It's safe to predict that whatever Nathaniel hoped to discover in these ruins will pale next to the mystery which stands in front of him--and the offer that this intruder knows full well will appeal to what burns in this young man's heart.

The fact that Kang's recital of his conquests stands in contrast to the dejected mood we see him in on page one is a reminder that this man is indigenous to Earth, a world which has repeatedly confounded him in terms of being added to that list. In Nathaniel, Kang means to ensure that his younger self will not repeat his mistakes--but as this story progresses, Nathaniel will begin to see Kang as a hindrance to his growth rather than helping to forge his path forward as his namesake. And as detrimental as that may sound, it will serve to broaden the scope of this series and allow it to become an engaging mix of plot developments which will at times appear to be spinning madly out of control of even its two writers.

For now, however, Nathaniel's goal is to learn his lessons well in the time allotted, even as he begins to see figurative cracks in his teacher's armor--one of which festers and finally prompts a harsh response.

After practically excoriating Kang's past writers in an earlier profile of the character for seldom if ever having him take advantage of his status as a time traveller by using his foreknowledge of his foes' vulnerabilities and expected actions and plan his method of attack accordingly, how disappointing to see Lanzing and/or Kelly have their character voice sentiments to the effect that such preparations "invite disaster." What military commander doesn't strategize before engaging his forces in battle--and which of them would consider it a sign of weakness?

The montage of events which artist Carlos Magno has depicted here produce quibbles of no import compared to what he brings to the table for this series--for example, Sue's use of force field powers that didn't yet exist during the FF's time in ancient Egypt, or Captain America's dramatic flinging of his shield which seems to accomplish no purpose, unless he's taking out a sniper in the building in the background. Regardless, it's frankly a treat to see how Magno weaves these images into the main story, which thanks to its overall plot remains riveting.

The drama of that story is raised a notch when Nathaniel discovers and becomes sympathetic to a tribe of people that captivates him with their way of life even in the face of the death that the oncoming asteroid represents--and in particular, a girl, named Ravonna, whom he develops feelings for despite Kang's warning.

What happens next is a lesson that Kang imparts without mercy--slaying the entire tribe to a man, and forcing Nathaniel to helplessly witness the devastation. But the lesson that Nathaniel takes away from that act is well-learned in regard to the one he holds in disdain from that point on--and as he simmers, he hatches a plan which brings us near to the end of this story, and the beginning of his own.

Intending to shunt himself as far forward in time as possible, given the near-burned-out condition of Kang's armor, Nathaniel discovers that he's been flung instead to ancient Egypt, in the heyday of Rama-Tut's reign--bringing to an end this story that admittedly had hooked me so adeptly. (Which I'm still shocked to say carried a whopping price tag of $5.00, so I'm hoping kids either prevailed on their parents or found a copy at their public library. How does one afford comic books these days?) Reading ahead, Lanzing, Kelly and Magno had plenty of twists and turns in this series to offer (one of them being Ravonna's "reincarnation," if that's what you want to call it); in fact, I'll be curious to see if they integrate scenes from a previous post which offered a glimpse of a Kang around Nathaniel's age gunning for his elder.

As of this post's writing (late November), issue 5 had yet to be published, so if you have opinions of the series as a whole and/or spoilers to offer it's probably safe to let 'em fly. Just think of how it will frustrate Kang.