This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on March 3, 2025.

Conan the Barbarian #17

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Danica Brine (Artist) – Titan Comics – December 4, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Launching the “Twisting Loyalties” story arc, Conan the Barbarian #17 depicts Conan adventuring alongside the pirate queen Bêlit. Having served at her side for close to a year under the assumed name of Amra the Lion, Conan joins Bêlit and the crew of their vessel The Tigress for some rest and relaxation in the port town of Kyros. Conan and his beautiful captain settle in for a night of passion at a posh inn called the Hidden Haven, but reckless bandits hoping for an easy score literally drop in on the pair.

In the original source material, Conan’s time at sea with Bêlit is related in Robert E. Howard’s 1934 story “Queen of the Black Coast.” While that story begins with the barbarian throwing in his lot with the crew of The Tigress and concludes with Bêlit’s tragic death, the largely unchronicled gaps in the narrative have been fertile ground for subsequent creators. “Conan the Pirate” is a premise that immediately appeals, and Bêlit is one of the strongest female characters in Howard’s literary output. In the classic Marvel Comics Conan the Barbarian title, Roy Thomas showed Conan and Bêlit voyaging together for nearly 40 issues (1976-1979), and this era in Conan’s career was also revisited in Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan’s 25-issue Conan the Barbarian series (Dark Horse Comics, 2012-2014). While Bêlit has appeared in both flashbacks and in spirit (e.g., Conan the Barbarian #8), this marks her first appearance alive and in the flesh with Conan in the current Titan Comics title.

While this issue only offers a brief and—so far—landbound depiction of Conan and Bêlit, it feels good to see the pair back in action again. In both the artwork and the narration, Bêlit is portrayed as being appropriately competent and ruthless, and the issue concludes with a hint of the greed and ambition that led to her eventual demise in “Queen of the Black Coast.” From a storytelling standpoint, so far, so good.

Danica Brine is an interesting choice as an artist. While a handful of women (Rebecca Puebla, Ashley Izienicki, etc.) have done covers for Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian, Brine is the first to handle the interior artwork. She doesn’t have the deepest resume, but she did handle a variant cover for Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #3, and she previously worked with Conan scribe Jim Zub on some cover artwork for his Image Comics series Wayward (2014-2018). It appears that her most extensive work to date was for 2022’s Chef’s Kiss, a wholesome-looking gay romance comic from Oni Press. Perhaps due to that background, both Conan and Bêlit appear a little, for lack of a better term, “cute” in this issue. Her Conan is still brawny, but it feels like he’s rendered in a way that is more geared to appeal to heterosexual women readers than the more common scarred, veiny, brutish depictions of Conan. Brine’s version of Bêlit is beautiful but not as overtly sexualized as some versions of the character. Conan the Barbarian is quite a change of pace from Chef’s Kiss, but the violence in this issue is presented sufficiently dynamically, if not as gory as combat scenes we’ve seen from artists like Doug Braithwaite and Jonas Scharf.

Conan the Barbarian #17 brings back sword & sorcery’s original power couple, and it’s great to see Conan and Bêlit reunited. The series also features a fresh new look, and I suspect the artwork will be an area of special interest during this story arc.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on February 22, 2025.

Red Sonja: Consumed

By Gail Simone – Orbit – November 19, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone opens with the titular redheaded “She-Devil with a Sword” dealing with the tricky aftermath of a successful heist. After seducing Ysidra, barbarian queen of a nomadic tribe, Red Sonja absconded with a priceless golden armband called the Hunter’s Asp. Not only does she find herself pursued by Ysidra’s tireless Wolf Pack, but an equally implacable assassin is also sent after Sonja when she stiffs the treasure’s prospective buyer and keeps the Asp for herself. And although she views herself as rootless and living only for the present, circumstances conspire to drive her back to her devastated homeland of Hyrkania, where a traumatic reckoning awaits with both her own personal history and that of her people.

As a character, Red Sonja has a long and involved history. While working on Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics, writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith came up with the character as a female foil to Conan. They looked to original Conan creator Robert E. Howard for inspiration, taking the swashbuckling heroine “Red” Sonya (note the Y, not J) of Rogatine from Howard’s 1934 historical adventure “The Shadow of the Vulture,” transplanting her in heavily modified form from 16th century Vienna to Conan’s Hyborian Age. Given a revealing costume (albeit not initially the armored bikini with which the character would later become indelibly associated) and dramatic origin story, Red Sonja became an instant hit after her introduction in 1973. In addition to numerous appearances within the pages of Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja went on to star in her own comic titles, first at Marvel and currently at Dynamite Entertainment.

While a handful of Red Sonja prose novels exist, Red Sonja: Consumed is the first to be published since 1983. This novel is also notable for its author: Gail Simone. Not only is Simone an experienced Red Sonja writer, her 2013 19-issue Dynamite Entertainment run with the character is one of the most acclaimed in the character’s multi-decade history. And while various authors have had many different portrayals of the character, in this reviewer’s opinion, Simone’s is the most fun. Sexual assault is often a part of Red Sonja’s backstory, as an inciting incident that (along with some divine intervention in the form of a sympathetic goddess) leads her to become an indomitable swordswoman. Sonja is often depicted as adhering to a vow of chastity, refusing to be bedded by any man unless he bests her in combat. Both in her tenure on the comic and in this novel, Simone dispenses with all of that. No rape-based origin story, no goddess, no vow of chastity. Simone retains Sonja’s fearlessness and deadly allure, but she’s no longer a warrior nun. Simone’s Sonja is earthy. She still wears the trademark bikini, but one gets the sense that she wears it for herself, not to titillate every alehouse yokel. She’s brave and capable, but occasionally surly, spiteful, and flippant. She doesn’t always have the best hygiene or odor about her. Her carousing sometimes gets her in trouble. Far from chaste, she’s both pansexual and voracious (regrettably absent from the novel, “I’m Red Sonja, I’m everybody’s type” is a memorable quote from Simone’s comic run). Simone allows her to be an imperfect mercenary swordswoman with both admirable qualities and flaws, who enjoys the full spectrum of pleasures permitted by her freewheeling lifestyle. Happily, the heroine presented in Red Sonja: Consumed is the same one we know from Simone’s reign on the comic.

Appealing characterization aside, perhaps inevitably, Red Sonja: Consumed reads like a first novel from an established comic book creator. The pace remains speedy throughout, but the plot wanders before tightening up in the last third of the book. While infrequent, there are jarring instances of “head hopping,” where the perspective wanders between multiple characters within a single scene. Betrayed queen Ysidra and the psychotic assassin Sylus are compelling characters, but they disappear for long stretches of the narrative, to the story’s detriment. The setting of the novel—still the same Hyborian Age inhabited by Conan, even though the characters have different ownership today—is somewhat vaguely rendered, but that seems a perennial issue with the Red Sonja comics as well.

On the positive side of the ledger, however, Simone’s background as a comic writer results in intensely vivid visuals. Throughout the novel I found myself effortlessly imagining various events as full-page comic spreads. Combat scenes are frequent, graphic, and vicious. Sonja brutally dismantles her opponents, going the extra mile to make sure they stay down permanently. The supernatural threat that reveals itself late in the book is also presented in a deliciously creepy manner.

While there are some rough edges, Red Sonja: Consumed is a fast-paced and entertaining dark Sword & Sorcery novel. The book is an easy recommendation to existing fans of Simone’s work on the Red Sonja comic book, but no prior experience with the character is necessary. Readers with a strong emotional investment in the more classic depiction of the character, with the assault survivor and vow of chastity elements intact, might balk somewhat at the messier heroine Simone presents us with, however. Feisty fantasy heroines are more common now than in decades past, but Red Sonja remains one of the best. While I enjoy and respect the work of earlier creators like Roy Thomas and Frank Thorne, Gail Simone’s rendition is the most modern and fun.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on January 9, 2025.

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Jonas Scharf (Artist) – Titan Comics – December 4, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4 opens with Conan succumbing to the injuries incurred during his last encounter with the Beast of the Black Stone. Kirowan calls upon his occult knowledge, making a significant personal sacrifice to resurrect Conan and simultaneously allow Brissa to remain in the physical realm. Only half of the Heroes of Man survive, yet the goal remains the same: to track down and destroy the source of the Black Stone’s power.

As promised, this final issue in the miniseries culminates in the titular Battle of the Black Stone. This scene is artist Jonas Scharf’s time to shine, and he makes full use of it. Dismemberments and decapitations abound. And while by now Brissa has been illustrated by multiple artists, in this reviewer’s opinion Scharf’s rendering appeals the most. She appears alluring but tough and physically robust, a believable Pictish scout rather than a pinup model who has picked up a spear. The momentum and violence of the massive Beast of the Black Stone also effectively comes across on the page. Seeing John Kirowan shooting magic mind bolts like Doctor Strange is a little eyebrow-raising, however.

While the artwork is first-rate, taken as a whole, Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone feels far from essential. The miniseries was overstuffed with characters. Even with the prologue shorts in The Savage Sword of Conan #4, readers were not allowed much time with the cast, and as a result their individual appeal too often fails to shine through and their deaths fail to have much narrative weight. Either halving the number of heroes appearing in this miniseries or taking another year to feature these characters singly in The Savage Sword of Conan would have given the crossover event a much firmer foundation.

On the more positive side, after a year of teasing across the first twelve issues of the flagship title, the identity of the cosmic entity ultimately responsible for the Black Stone is a fun revelation certain to be appreciated by fans of the original Marvel Comics Conan the Barbarian. Writer Jim Zub could not have made a better choice. For those readers lacking that familiarity, the accompanying Jeffrey Shanks essay provides some entertaining and enlightening context regarding said entity.

While the missed opportunities and underutilized characters in Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone are regrettable, the climactic battle is genuinely exciting. The event still feels like a brazenly commercially motivated effort to (re)launch a Robert E. Howard comic universe, but—with the apparently obligatory Conan-facilitated crossover event out of the way—perhaps the characters incompletely showcased in this four-issue miniseries will live up to their full potential in their own solo titles.

Postscript: Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring was announced in late December, to release in March. Writer/artist Patch Zircher previously handled Kane’s appearances in Titan Comics’ The Savage Sword of Conan issues #1-4.

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This review originally appeared at the New Edge Sword & Sorcery blog on July 8, 2024.

Hurled Headlong Flaming

By Matt Holder – Spiral Tower Press – April 29, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

It is the year 1291 and the coastal Mediterranean city-state of Acre is under siege. After cutting a bloody swath through the Levant, the tide has turned against the European Crusaders. They find themselves surrounded by the Mamluk Sultanate and losing their foothold on the Holy Land. Traumatized by the insanity of the times and desperate to intervene, an unnamed Bishop begs the assistance of Islamic scholar and mapmaker Yaqut al-Hamawi. The cataclysm foretold in the Book of Revelation appears to be rapidly approaching, and the Bishop seeks sacred texts that may help humanity better cope with the tumult to come. To reach the otherworldly library housing the sacred texts, the Bishop must embark on a harrowing–in both the conventional and theological senses of the word–journey into the mythic underworld, risking both his body and soul.

Matt Holder’s HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING is the debut release from Spiral Tower Press’ newly established Keen Blades imprint. The publisher of WHETSTONE: AMATEUR MAGAZINE OF SWORD AND SORCERY, Spiral Tower Press also seeks to use Keen Blades to release new and original works of briskly paced fantasy adventure, specifically focusing on novella-length tales “that test the boundaries of what sword and sorcery can be.” In his introduction, editor Jason Ray Carney cites the “psychocartographic” nature of HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING as one of the novella’s core attractions. Like John Milton’s PARADISE LOST and Dante Alighieri’s DIVINE COMEDY before it, HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING blends a spiritual journey with a tour of various otherworldly locales. Unlike with a more conventional fantasy travelogue, these places are not to be taken merely at face value; they are often laden with additional significance, either imbued with allegory or providing object lessons for the pilgrim.

While the prelude and coda take place in the human realm, the underworld journey at the heart of the novella is divided into three distinct parts. During “Part I – The Matter of War,” the Bishop undergoes a symbolic rebirth, emerging naked and scorched into the underworld. Before long he is pulled into brutal conflict with a variety of opponents of vastly differing physiques, some human in form, others unmistakably demonic in nature. Recalling al-Hamawi’s advice, the Bishop must fight until he is “fluent,” shedding enough blood to attract the attention of powerful demons able to aid him in his quest. This first section of the book is visceral and relentless, showing a man of the cloth demolishing every obstacle in his path. Despite this section’s relatively brief page count, Holder delivers an epic, operatic montage-style depiction of the chaos of war.

Abandoning the limited third-person perspective of Part I, “Part II – The Matter of Truth” abruptly shifts to a Socratic dialogue-style format. Having successfully gained an audience with powerful demons, the Bishop must prove himself worthy of admission into the infernal city that houses the library he seeks. Three demons compel the Bishop to give a persuasive lecture on the nature of authority and truth. While conducted in a more genteel manner than the previous blood-drenched section, Holder gives the sense that this is merely a battle of a different sort.

“Part III – The Matter of Taking” marks another drastic transition in prose style, this time adopting a first-person epistolary presentation in the form of pages from the Bishop’s journal. Plunged into an infernal city of obelisks and blackened glass, a “churning cauldron of flesh” populated by both human souls and demons alike, the Bishop must orient himself and find a path to the library. “This place will not let you leave until you have completed your labors,” the Bishop is admonished, and he is forced to endure more hardship and despair en route to the library.

The extreme shifts in tone and prose style across the three parts of the underworld journey are disorienting, but this feels intentional. Even with the benefit of his initial coaching from al-Hamawi, the Bishop is constantly forced to react to unexpected developments and threats. Swiftly moving from gritty war epic to philosophical debate to claustrophobic horror, each presented with a different perspective, also cleverly serves to keep the reader on the back foot.

For what is ostensibly a spiritual journey, HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING is profoundly concerned with the flesh. The Bishop is not allowed to cleanly and luminously flit from scene to allegorical scene as an incorporeal soul. No, the Bishop is very much confined to his physical form. Over the course of his journey he is scraped, burned, pierced, torn, raked, abraded, bruised, lanced, and gouged. His corpus is constantly soiled with blood, sweat, dust, filth, and other distasteful stains. Although the underground imbues him with supernatural resilience, every footstep of progress he makes is nevertheless paid for in blood and perspiration. While he is still preoccupied with questions of sin and spiritual salvation, both the Bishop and the reader are constantly reminded of the fleshly vehicle he uses to navigate the underworld. This felt like a calculated rejection of philosophical dualism. Holder seems to suggest that the body and the soul cannot be separated, you carry your body and its weight with you. Even in Hell, a twisted ankle is a setback.

HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING succeeds in fulfilling Keen Blades’ stated objective of pushing the boundaries of Sword & Sorcery. The battle mayhem of Part I and the bizarre cityscape of Part III showcase deliver the kind of exciting martial action and phantasmagorical imagery present in much of the best Sword & Sorcery fiction. But the novella also demonstrates a pensiveness uncommon in the subgenre, however. Michael Moorcock’s stories often toy with philosophical themes, but it’s difficult to imagine him dedicating a third of a book to a Socratic dialogue. Otherworldly journeys figure prominently in C.L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry tales, but without the Middle Ages-flavored religiosity of HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING. Rather than core Sword & Sorcery fans, I would be quicker to recommend this book to readers who enjoyed the grimdark medieval horror of Christopher Buehlman’s BETWEEN TWO FIRES. HURLED HEADLONG FLAMING may sit uneasily in the Sword & Sorcery category, but the grit, fast pace, propulsive action, and hallucinatory imagery are likely to appeal to S&S fans, nonetheless.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on December 28, 2024.

Contra Amatores Mundi: A Gothic Fantasy

By Graham Thomas Wilcox – Old Moon Publishing – October 31, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Contra Amatores Mundi: A Gothic Fantasy is a medieval grimdark novella by Graham Thomas Wilcox, one of the editors behind the “Soulsborne” dark fantasy fiction showcase Old Moon Quarterly. The title is Latin for “against the lovers of the world,” quoted from a sermon by 14th century religious writer Richard Rolle, and true to the name, the novella features a pair of lovers separated by epic circumstances.

Contra Amatores Mundi begins with Hieronymus of Tsorn and Prospero of Luchetti, two knights of the chivalric Order of the Dragon, at sea. As they dispatch their enemy, the Knight of Foxes, he drags both knights overboard as his dying act. The last thing Hieronymus sees as he is claimed by the depths is Walpurga, his beloved nun (who has one flesh hand and one skeletal hand for unexplained—but undeniably metal—reasons). When Hieronymus and Prospero awaken, they find themselves in a strange world beneath the sea. With only each other to rely upon in a bizarre land swarming with hostile monsters, the two knights set out across the wilderness, searching for a way home. Through the use of a relic claimed from the corpse of their first opponent, Hieronymus witnesses visions of his distant love Walpurga. Alternately comforting and distressing, on some occasions he sees Walpurga doing her utmost to be reunited with Hieronymus, at other times he sees her committing infidelities or moving on with her life. Just as the vicissitudes of their journey tests his body, the visions challenge his resolve and love for his woman.

Contra Amatores Mundi bears some kinship with an earlier work by Wilcox, sharing the setting and some characters from “The Feast of Saint Ottmer,” my favorite of the stories published in Old Moon Quarterly Volume 3. In my review of “The Feast of Saint Ottmer,” I wrote that “It overshoots Arthurian romance, ending up closer to the opening scenes of Vlad Dracula as armored warrior in the Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).” To my amusement, Wilcox later admitted that he was indeed a big fan of that particular Coppola sequence, and the same bombastic, operatic feel is captured in Contra Amatores Mundi as well.

Wilcox cites Cormac McCarthy, Gene Wolfe, and Chretien de Troyes as influences on Contra Amatores Mundi. While I lack firsthand experience with Chretien, I can say that the novella does pair the brutality of something like McCarthy’s The Road with the ornate prose and archaic diction of Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. Intriguing vocabulary choices abound, and the style of passages like the following effectively evoke an atmosphere where flowery, cultured speech collides with the grim butchery of the knights’ trade.

“…violence never authored its writ upon a man more firmly than it did upon dread Prospero. Blood, fire and death had scrawled him all over, such that by the very ink of his eye and curl of his mouth, one branded him at once a son of Cain.”

Hieronymus and Prospero’s odyssey is a bloody, arduous one. At every turn they are confronted by giants, animate skeletons, serpent-headed creatures and worse. Their nightmarish journey is accompanied by frequent meditations upon the nature of their vocation. These knights fight in the name of the Christian God (presented here as a more martial and bloodthirsty icon than some might expect), and Hieronymus is simultaneously devoted to the darkly alluring Walpurga. But the reader is also given the impression that these two warriors relish the taking and giving of blood. They are compatible with no other lifestyle; killing is their business and business is good. And trapped as they are in another realm with only a faint glimmer of hope, they have effectively become suicide commandos.

While readers may trip over the occasional unfamiliar word (likely armor-related jargon) or pause to reread a particularly florid turn of phrase, the pace of the novella is brisk and propulsive. The ending arrives abruptly. So sudden, in fact, that I wondered if my copy was missing a page or two. Upon further reflection, however, Wilcox gives us enough indication of the two knights’ ultimate fate, allowing readers to fill in the final moments themselves.

The McCarthy and Wolfe influences are clearly present, but this novella is also recommended for fans of Christopher Buehlman’s Between Two Fires, Matt Holder’s Hurled Headlong Flaming, and the Games Workshop Warhammer tie-in fiction published by Black Library. (Indeed, one of Wilcox’s previous releases is the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar short story “Grimnirsson.”) Contra Amatores Mundi: A Gothic Fantasy is a gory grimdark opera with style and spectacle.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on December 13, 2024.

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #3

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Jonas Scharf (Artist) – Titan Comics – November 6, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #3 begins with the Heroes of Man reeling from the loss of two of their own. The giant, many-armed creature now known as the Beast of the Black Stone has demonstrated that it’s capable of pursuing and killing its victims across time and space, and that there is no safe refuge for Conan and the other gathered champions.

The Pictish scout Brissa guides them through the wilderness using a fragment of the Black Stone that harbors a remnant of the immolated Texan author James Allison’s soul. Thrown together by circumstance, the six survivors react differently to their task and their companions. Conan and Brissa relish their unexpected reunion. Dour Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane and hot-tempered swordswoman Dark Agnes de Chastillon—both displaced from the 16th century—are skeptical of their companions but face the struggle against the Beast with grim resolve. Conrad and Kirowan remain fascinated by the occult implications of their plight. A disastrous encounter with another shard of the Black Stone leads to an unplanned confrontation with the Beast, however.

From a narrative and characterization standpoint, Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #3 is a mixed bag. The interactions and dialogue between Conan and Brissa are well done. Years have passed since Brissa’s presumed death at the climax of Conan the Barbarian #4 (with her supernatural escape revealed in The Savage Sword of Conan #4); the two were intimate when they traveled together, but Conan is older now, battle-scarred and experienced. This story takes place after Conan has loved and lost his pirate queen Bêlit, perhaps the most impactful relationship in his life, but thrown together with Brissa again he rediscovers his attraction for the Pict. While apparently little time has passed for Brissa, for her part she finds the more mature Conan to still be “burning bright,” subtly echoing Atali’s appraisal of the barbarian’s vitality in the Frozen Faith story arc (Conan the Barbarian #16). Their scene together is a nice bit of character work in a largely rushed-feeling miniseries.

Unfortunately, the other characters in the story continue to be mishandled or neglected. While the bonding scene between Solomon Kane and Dark Agnes is entertaining, both characters’ subsequent individual portrayals either feel inauthentic or fail to communicate their appeal as original author Robert E. Howard created them. Last issue Solomon Kane attacked Conan without any real justification (apart from to provide an eye-catching cover illustration), and this issue he randomly and inexplicably accuses Brissa of responsibility for a companion’s death. Dark Agnes fares even more poorly. After being mostly sidelined for two issues she finally gets some screentime, only to make a bizarrely rash decision that has catastrophic consequences for her and her companions.

Jim Zub began the Battle of the Black Stone miniseries with eight characters and issue #3 concludes with—to the best of the reader’s knowledge—three surviving heroes. The intent seems to be to create a high-stakes atmosphere where any character can die, but so little time has been spent with the non-Conan characters that their deaths fail to have much narrative impact. Even worse, those who are killed have, thus far, not experienced the most dignified or heroic deaths. Multiple characters have been isolated in time and space from their companions and slaughtered by the Beast, and one of the miniseries’ two heroines loses her life in a situation that feels less like a desperate last stand than it does a pointless, ill-considered and avoidable fight. Put bluntly, watching classic Howard characters go out like punks hasn’t been a great time. From the beginning, this miniseries felt like a blatantly commercial attempt to launch a Robert E. Howard comic universe for Titan Comics (a solo Solomon Kane miniseries has been announced), so the likelihood of these characters’ deaths being hastily reversed in the final issue means their demises have even less weight than an X-Men hero dying in a Marvel title.

Throughout Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #3, the spirit of James Allison mutters portentously about “heroes and fools,” but it feels like there are more fools than heroes in this issue. There’s still time for the final issue to stick the landing, but my optimism is waning.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on December 4, 2024.

The Savage Sword of Conan #5

By Jason Aaron (Writer), Geof Isherwood (Artist), Jim Zub (Writer), Roberto De La Torre (Artist), Michael Kogge (Writer), and Dan Parsons (Artist) – Titan Comics – October 30, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

While previous issues have included at least one entry spotlighting a different Robert E. Howard character, the fifth issue of Titan Comics’ bimonthly magazine The Savage Sword of Conan delivers three stories exclusively focusing on Conan at different stages in his life.

The issue opens with “The Ensorcelled” by Jason Aaron, with art by Geof Isherwood. Bearded King Conan is visiting the chaotic Brythunian borderlands, trying to help the local royalty secure their demesnes, lest their upheaval affect Conan’s neighboring kingdom of Aquilonia. While hunting with the foppish King Fabiano Conan encounters the infamous Witch of Graaskal, blamed for a host of misdeeds including child-murder. While Conan witnesses her powerful sorcery firsthand, he soon grows skeptical of the litany of crimes of which the witch is accused. King Conan intervenes on the witch’s behalf, even though it brings him into conflict with King Fabiano. “The Ensorcelled” features some interesting twists along the way, and Isherwood’s detailed artwork is pleasantly reminiscent of the classic Hal Foster Prince Valiant comics. Frustratingly, however, “The Ensorcelled” is just the first half of a two-part story. At 53 pages in length, “The Ensorcelled” dominates this issue’s 64-page page count, yet readers are still expected to wait two months for a resolution. This reviewer believes strongly that serialized stories are best left to the primary Conan the Barbarian title; The Savage Sword of Conan is at its best when it delivers standalone narratives that can be enjoyed fully by occasional readers of the magazine.

Next is a two-page vignette entitled “Damn Thing in the Water,” by Jim Zub and illustrated by Roberto De La Torre. Conan is set upon by a tentacled beast when stopping for a drink at a watering hole. While De La Torre’s John Buscema-inspired artwork always pleases, the story feels like an abbreviated retelling of Alan Quah’s “Lure of the Pit Creature” from The Savage Sword of Conan issue #3. Overly familiar seeming, perhaps the space for this micro-story could have been better occupied by a Jeffrey Shanks essay or additional full-page pin-up illustrations.

The final story is “Forged,” by Michael Kogge and Dan Parsons. Where “The Ensorcelled” depicts an older Conan, “Forged” presents Conan as a child, apprenticed to his blacksmith father in their Cimmerian village. The story shows young Conan chafing under his father’s strict guidance, but treachery by visiting Zingaran entertainers gives Conan an opportunity to prove himself. My complaint with this story is identical to my criticism of Conan the Barbarian #16: young Conan tales are profoundly uninteresting compared to those featuring the fully-fledged barbarian. Seeing Conan as a boy learning harsh life lessons does not enhance the character’s mystique. Much like a meal, Conan is better with some seasoning. Artist Dan Parsons is also capable of better artwork than what he turned in for this story.

The standard cover for this issue features amazing new Joe Jusko artwork of Conan and a panicked companion struggling to avoid being devoured by a “dragon” (likely some type of dinosaur, in classic Sword & Sorcery tradition). It was disappointing that no such scene appears within this issue. Way back in the first issue, Jim Zub’s editorial gave the impression that the creative team would endeavor to ensure that the cover artwork would reflect the contents of the magazine, and it’s unfortunate that, just five issues in, that loose assurance to the reader no longer holds. (In the interest of fairness, the alternate cover by Alex Horley DOES depict a scene from the opening of “The Ensorcelled.”)

While it’s nice to see a return to original, non-event stories after the Battle of the Black Stone prelude issue, The Savage Sword of Conan #5 doesn’t quite match the standard set by the series’ first three issues. Less devoted Conan fans might be better off waiting to see the reception to issue #6 and the conclusion of “The Ensorcelled” before going out of their way to pick up this issue.

#ReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #SwordAndSorcery #JasonAaron #GeofIsherwood #JimZub #RobertoDeLaTorre #MichaelKogge #DanParsons #TitanComics #ConanTheBarbarian #TheSavageSwordOfConan #GrimdarkMagazine #GdM

This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on November 16, 2024.

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #2

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Jonas Scharf (Artist) – Titan Comics – October 2, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

As Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #2 opens, a spectral vision of the Texas writer James Allison appears to Conan, Solomon Kane, El Borak, Agnes de Chastillon, and the other Heroes of Men across time and space. As his body disintegrates before their eyes, Allison provides some much-needed guidance. The strange dark eye sigil each of the heroes has individually encountered is a mark that signifies that they are hunted by the dark force that inhabits the Black Stone.

Back in The Wanderer’s Club in 1936 Chicago, Allison’s warning (and the comic’s exposition) is cut short by the emergence of the giant four-armed beast encountered by Solomon Kane in The Savage Sword of Conan #4. El Borak and the occult investigators Professor John Kirowan and John Conrad do their best to keep the creature at bay, but it’s immediately clear they are fighting a losing battle until they receive a last-minute assist from an unexpected ally from another era.

The second issue of the Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone miniseries provides deeper insight into the supernatural struggle in which the protagonists have found themselves enmeshed, and it also brings the heroes together for the first time.

Jonas Scharf’s artwork continues to impress. His renditions of the spindly monster first shown by Patch Zircher in The Savage Sword of Conan #4 and of Conan’s Pictish companion Brissa (originally depicted by Roberto De La Torre) are both excellent, proving he can adeptly handle both beauty and the beast. His action scenes also continue to be dynamically portrayed.

Zub’s narration is appropriately portentous as we learn about the stakes the heroes are up against. The Conan vs. Solomon Kane skirmish advertised on the issue’s cover felt a little perfunctory, however, like it was inserted to fulfill comic book readers’ team-up expectations (i.e., first the heroes rough each other up a little, then they join forces) rather than anything demanded by the narrative. I was also disappointed to see that Dark Agnes was given very little to do this issue as well. Perhaps it would have been best had she been omitted from the Battle of the Black Stone miniseries entirely; the miniseries feel crowded enough as it is.

With Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #2 the board has been set up and the pieces are in place. Only two issues remain in the miniseries, so it appears we can expect a rollercoaster ride in the installments to come.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on November 11, 2024.

Conan the Barbarian #16

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Doug Braithwaite (Artist) – Titan Comics – October 23, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Last issue, Conan experienced a close encounter with the divine. Sole survivor of a battle between rival tribes of Northmen, Conan found himself visited by Atali, daughter of the mythic frost giant Ymir. Conan the Barbarian #16 opens with Conan back at the Aesir camp, reflecting on his brush with the otherworldly. Left with a scrap of Atali’s diaphanous garment as the only physical proof of his experience, Conan recalls his own religious upbringing in Cimmeria, where the inhabitants worship the grim and notoriously distant deity Crom.

Conan the Barbarian #16 serves as a denouement to the Frozen Faith storyline, following the expanded retelling of Robert E. Howard’s short story “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter.” Doug Braithwaite’s artwork matches the standard we’ve seen from him to date, and Jim Zub’s script features its usual punchiness.

However, from both an art and storytelling perspective, this four-issue arc felt like a misstep. His earthly women are fine, but as an artist Braithwaite was not up to the task of effectively rendering Atali’s ethereal beauty. For Zub’s part, I don’t feel like this was particularly an episode that needed telling. In addition to the original prose short story, readers have a number of comic adaptations of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” to choose from. The Braithwaite/Zub interview included in the issue’s backmatter provides some interesting insight into the genesis of this version: Braithwaite was a fan of the 1970s Marvel Comics adaptation by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith and wanted to try his own take on the tale, and Zub felt that positioning Atali herself as narrator would be novel enough to justify the retelling. While Zub succeeds in making Atali more of a three-dimensional character and less a cipher than in the original Howard story, he doesn’t go far enough. Atali is depicted appraising humanity through her close observation of Conan and his indomitable fighting spirit, but her ultimate objective remains as murky as ever. What is her endgame here?

Apart from “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” being well-trodden ground, the emphasis on Conan’s childhood and religious beliefs does not sit well with this reader. Unlike some other varieties of fantasy fiction, Sword & Sorcery heroes do not need elaborate backstories and are rarely given them. The genre is almost always concerned with the here and now: what fresh hell has the protagonist found himself embroiled in, and how is he or she going to extricate themselves? Flashbacks of Conan as a sullen child dealing with village bullies and butting heads with his apparently devout Crom-worshipping father are not something I seek in Conan the Barbarian. Conan’s creator never gave readers more than the barest sketches of the barbarian’s origin, and they were sufficient to make him the enduring character he is today, more than 90 years later. In comics, films, and pastiche novels, other stewards of the character always seem irresistibly tempted to backfill, but readers don’t need it. They really don’t. Tell me what Conan is doing NOW, not what he did when he was eight years old.

The preoccupation with Conan’s religious faith is likewise unnecessary and does little to enhance the character. The passage is touched upon in the accompanying essay by Jeffrey Shanks, but as far as this reader is concerned, the last word about Conan and religion is captured in Howard’s “Queen of the Black Coast” (1934):

“I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. … I know not, nor do I care. … Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.”

In short, Conan has been around and encountered some strange things. He knows the supernatural exists, and has concluded that gods are likely to be present as well. Regardless, he has elected to remain unconcerned by questions of religion and live his own life. Granted, the Conan of “Queen of the Black Coast” is older and more seasoned than at the time of the Frozen Faith storyline, but the spiritual journey of Crom-skeptic to Crom-believer told here feels inappropriately pensive for a character that is overwhelmingly concerned with the tangible, the here and now. Howard had other characters better suited to stories about religious belief. King Kull was a philosopher, for example, and Solomon Kane’s fanatical Puritanism motivated every action he took. Conan, however, shrugs at your religion. Try to crowbar a crisis of faith into a Conan story and you risk getting into “Are You There, Crom? It’s Me, Conan” territory.

Conan the Barbarian #16 marks the end of a flawed experiment. While it ultimately didn’t work for me, it was interesting to see the creative team’s take on an expanded adaptation of a classic story. Thus far, over the course of Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian we’ve had a continuity-heavy year-long plot, time travel, numerous flashbacks, and multiple crossovers with other literary Howard characters. Now that the breadth of Howard’s universe has been demonstrated, here’s hoping that the series returns to its core appeal: fast-paced, original episodic adventures showing the barbarian operating at the height of his powers.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on October 19, 2024.

Conan the Barbarian #15

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Doug Braithwaite (Artist) – Titan Comics – September 25, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

At the conclusion of Conan the Barbarian #14, Conan was embroiled in a brutal skirmish between Aesir and Vanir Northmen. His Aesir comrades-in-arms wiped out in the conflict, it falls to Conan to dispatch the final Vanir champion. He catches a savage sword blow to the helmet, however, leaving him dazed and reeling. At long last, the red-haired beauty that has spent weeks stalking Conan from just out of sight takes the opportunity to reveal herself. The icy nymph goads the barbarian—who is concussed to the point he is unsure “whether to fight or frolic”—into pursuing her across the glittering snow. Wary of deception, Conan nevertheless shunts his misgivings to the side and surrenders to his lust and confusion.

Part III of the Frozen Faith storyline, this episode is entitled “Gods in the North.” This is, of course, the alternate title of a Robert E. Howard Conan story better known as “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter.” This single issue presents the entire narrative of the Howard short story, making the two previous issues an original prologue for the adaptation and leaving the forthcoming issue #16 as a coda.

When interviewed about Howard adaptations within the Titan Comics Conan the Barbarian series, Jim Zub repeatedly stated that he didn’t want to be a “cover band” rehashing the hits, but that stance appears to have evolved over time, with Zub later stating “I didn’t want to explore Frost-Giant’s Daughter material unless there was something fresh and exciting we could bring to the mix…” in a newsletter post. Whether or not this augmented adaptation experiment has been a success will be ultimately determined by the final issue in the Frozen Faith arc, but I find myself ambivalent.

Excellent as always, the included essay by Jeffrey Shanks provides valuable context regarding the history of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” both the original prose story and its comic adaptations. As Shanks points out, there have been three previous comic adaptations of the story, most recently in the 2004 Dark Horse Comics Conan. Are the original scenes and new characters presented here enough to justify yet another adaptation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter”? I’m torn. As a Howard fan first and foremost, I generally approve of efforts to promote the original stories to Conan the Barbarian comic readers who may not be familiar with the classics. On the other hand, I applauded Zub’s previously stated reluctance to revisit well-traveled ground and have been excited to see his new, original Conan tales.

Necessity aside, the adaptation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” presented here is largely an effective one. Zub’s prose is as propulsive as always, and the red-haired temptress Atali’s imperious internal monologue is written with relish. Doug Braithwaite’s battle scenes remain strong and dynamic, but alluring women seem like an artistic weakness for him. Braithwaite’s Atali is pretty, but not quite on the level that a supernatural siren should be, especially since the plot depends on Conan desperately chasing her into dangerous territory despite exhaustion and injuries. In this reader’s opinion, his scrawny depiction of Atali compares unfavorably to the 2004 Dark Horse rendition by Cary Nord or even the ones delivered by the other cover artists for the current story arc.

Bolstered by the strong foundation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” Conan the Barbarian #15 is the strongest issue in the Frozen Faith arc thus far. With one post-climactic issue remaining, however, it’s difficult to predict where Zub will take the story from here. It’s also not yet clear whether the “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” retelling is a one-off, with the title returning to original stories, or if other Howard adaptations will appear in the future. Only time will tell, but the Frozen Faith storyline and this particular issue may come to represent a significant transition in the Titan Comics incarnation of Conan the Barbarian.

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