Review Archive – Conan the Barbarian #22 by Jim Zub (W) and Fernando Dagnino (A)

This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on August 7, 2025.

Conan the Barbarian #22

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Fernando Dagnino (Artist) – Titan Comics – July 9, 2025

Review by Robin Marx

Conan, his band of Bamula warriors, and Princess Livia have been drugged and imprisoned in the Stygian border town of Keshatta by the ruthless enchantress Athyr-Bast. She and other members of a sorcerous clique known as the Black Ring pit captives against each other in gladiatorial combat as a means of entertaining the unwashed masses while simultaneously jockeying for position and prestige within the Ring. Given no opportunity to prepare, Conan immediately finds himself thrust into the arena with the reigning champion, a giant brute named Krum-Va the Carver. Despite the formidable odds, Conan emerges alive but not unscathed. Further victories under the nom de guerre Amra the Annihilator earn Conan special treatment among the gladiators, and Athyr-Bast basks in her pet warrior’s triumphs. However, thoughts of liberating himself and his comrades are never far from Conan’s mind.

Conan the Barbarian issue #22, “Diamond in the Dirt,” borrows many recognizable elements from Spartacus and every other gladiator movie and TV show you’ve ever seen. Grossly mismatched opponents, triumphant underdogs, friends pitted against friends, slaves elevated to celebrity, privileged women dallying with their gladiators, etc. The tropes and story beats may be familiar, but they remain entertaining. While pit fighter was never a vocation undertaken by the barbarian in the original Robert E. Howard stories, it’s exciting to see the exploits of Conan the Gladiator in a more expanded capacity than the ruthlessly edited taste viewers were shown in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film.

Fernando Dagnino’s artwork continues to appeal. Gladiatorial combat appears frequently throughout the issue, and Dagnino delivers melee depictions that feel not only dynamic and forceful, but rhythmically paced as well. Outside of the arena, Dagnino proves himself adept with the quieter moments. Athyr-Bast remains an alluring and well-dressed femme fatale, and women’s faces and costuming haven’t always been shown this much attention and care under previous Conan the Barbarian artists.

The Jeffrey Shanks essay accompanying Conan the Barbarian #22 explores the ancient Egyptian-themed land of Stygia, an isolationist land dominated by sorcery and snake cults. In addition to the current “Nest of Serpents” story arc, Stygia is set to figure heavily in the upcoming “Scourge of the Serpent” event miniseries, and the essay offers newcomers some welcome grounding in one of the Hyborian Age’s most evocative and mysterious locales.

While this reader hopes the much-teased antagonist Thoth-Amon will take a more prominent role in the next issue, Conan the Barbarian issue #22 is a fun and fast-paced gladiator montage.

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