This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on July 4, 2025.

Old Moon Quarterly: Volume 7, Summer 2024

By Old Moon Publishing – December 19, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

The seventh volume of Old Moon Quarterly delivers more of the high quality dark fantasy readers of the magazine have come to expect. In addition to genre titans like Michael Moorcock, Tanith Lee, and Glen Cook, the editors of Old Moon Quarterly have been outspoken about their enthusiasm for contemporary media touchstones like Berserk, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls video games, aesthetics that visibly impact the periodical’s editorial direction. Unlike earlier issues, Old Moon Quarterly Volume 7 and 8 were crowdfunded via a Kickstarter campaign. Not only did the crowdfunding campaign allow OMQ to maintain pro rates for contributors, it allowed an extended page count and the addition of internal illustrations (including work by Morgan King of The Spine of Night fame).

Volume 7 opens with an intriguing look at intelligent enchanted weapons, here referred to as the “speaking sword” trope. Elric of Melniboné’s malignantly manipulative blade Stormbringer is one example that readily comes to mind (and the cover artwork provided by Simon Underwood suggests an Elric homage), but the Introduction also includes a wide range of other examples from Finnish mythology to J.R.R Tolkien’s legendarium to Warhammer. The Introduction adds welcome context for the second story in the issue, “Stolen by Moonlight, Betrothed by Sun” by E. Catherine Tobler.

Before the speaking sword makes its appearance, however, readers are treated to a new Morlock Ambrosius tale by returning contributor and World Fantasy Award nominee James Enge. “The Ember Eyed” sees Morlock, son of Merlin, trudging down to the southernmost reaches of the world, a land of eternal fire, on a mission to obtain liquid sunlight. A nearly fatal encounter with the massive guardian spider Usli forces Morlock to reconsider his approach, however. In one of the most thrilling scenes in the story, Morlock sets to work like some sort of sorcerous MacGyver, using his ingenuity and spellcraft to equip himself for the task ahead. While it felt like Morlock was uncharacteristically relegated to the passenger seat in the finale, “The Ember Eyed” features clever storytelling and over-the-top magic. While prior experience with Morlock Ambrosius is not required to enjoy this story, the callback to the events of “Evil Honey” (published in Old Moon Quarterly Vol. 3) was delightful and welcome.

Catherine Tobler’s “Stolen by Moonlight, Betrothed by Sun” is told from the perspective of a 300-year-old sword; an estoc to be precise. Told in a non-linear fashion, the sword relates its initial encounters with its beloved owner, a formidable and rakish woman named Elisabeth Duguay-Trouin. The sword and its mistress are inevitably parted, and the estoc finds itself in the possession of a succession of different owners, some worthier than others. In contrast to the mostly doom-bringing intelligent swords mentioned in the Introduction, the one starring here was a steadfast companion, and the narrative is written in an intriguingly wistful and almost romantic fashion.

“The Torrent of Souls” by H.R. Laurence opens with the protagonist, a mercenary named Heoric, bleeding out on a tavern floor after a pointless, alcohol-fueled knife fight. The defiant recklessness with which Heoric spent his life brings him to the attention of a strangely fey woman named Aetia. In exchange for her healing ministrations, Aetia presses Heoric into service, pitting him against an avaricious sorcerer who guards the secret of immortality. One of the standout stories of this issue, “The Torrent of Souls” boasts both dreamlike imagery and gritty, violent action.

Continuing a tradition established with OMQ Volume 5, this issue also includes some poetry. Calie Voorhis’ “Footnotes on ‘Only Forever,’ The Grey Witch’s Last Poem” pairs a prose poem with extensive faux academic footnotes. This combination feels like it was designed in a laboratory to leave me cold. “In Her Waters, Raging” by Lora Gray is the other poem included in Volume 7. It’s a less tedious read than “Footnotes,” but doesn’t contribute much to the issue as a whole. While I find the OMQ editors’ fiction selections to be remarkably on point, whatever spark they’re seeing in their published poems has, thus far, eluded me.

Reminiscent of Clark Ashton Smith in terms of atmosphere if not verbiage, “The Last Gift” by Jason Mills tells the story of a group of travelers being stalked by an implacable djinn. Left destitute deep in the desert by bandits, each of the travelers shares their best quality with the others—be it words of wisdom, a treasure, or even a martial arts technique—so that if any single member makes it back to civilization they will carry something valuable from their fallen comrades. While the shape-shifting djinn proves to be a cruel and relentless threat, each of the travelers’ personal qualities prove instrumental in ultimately defeating the demon. “The Last Gift” is both clever and one of the more beautifully told stories of the issue.

Occasional Grimdark Magazine contributor Matthew John has become increasingly ubiquitous in the modern Sword & Sorcery revival, with appearances in Tales From the Magician’s Skull, The Savage Sword of Conan, and his well-received debut collection To Walk on Worlds. An appearance in Old Moon Quarterly felt almost inevitable, and John marks a strong OMQ debut with “Last Day on the Farm.” While the bulk of Volume 7’s stories include dark and unsettling elements, “Last Day on the Farm” ramps the horror up to eleven. An isolated farmer finds himself confronted with the otherworldly when a caravan crew is massacred by parasites and necromancy on his doorstep. Only Lachmannon the Kael, John’s recurring barbarian hero, can help Maric see the morning. The gory violence, grim tone, and body horror are to be expected in a Matthew John story, but he still surprised me by revealing a heretofore unseen side to Lachmannon as a character. “Last Day on the Farm” could have concluded in a variety of ways, but John chose a supremely satisfying ending.

The grimdark persists with “Bleed Me in the Water,” by Bram Stoker Award-winner Hailey Piper. For reasons that remain obscure until late in the tale, the murderess Demi takes it upon herself to lead her fellow villagers into a lethal trap within the caverns beneath her isolated island home. Along the way Demi and her victims experience a terrifying encounter with the divine. Deliciously nasty, “Bleed Me in the Water” is a story that lingers with the reader.

The hot streak continues with “Of Decadence a Child,” by David Costa. Holy warrior Beoric, He Without Sin, is sent into the vulgar world to slay a monster preying on the sinful wretches outside the Divine Church’s cloistered sanctuary. While the narrative itself is fairly straightforward, it is enhanced by the heavy, portentous atmosphere. Everything is viewed through the lens of Beoric’s religion, with the characters surrounding him instantly branded with one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Masochistic suffering is esteemed within Beoric’s faith; his armor is literally pinned to his chest, he wears boots filled with jagged pebbles, and the hilt of his sword is shrouded in spikes, “for the consequence of violence is violence itself.” Readers who enjoyed the grimdark knights of “The Feast of Saint Ottmer” (Old Moon Quarterly Volume 3) and Contra Amatores Mundi, both by OMQ editor Graham Thomas Wilcox, are especially likely to appreciate “Of Decadence a Child.” It is the epitome of the “Soulsborne” fantasy Old Moon Quarterly prides itself on delivering.

“Lessons from Aulis” by Monica Joyce Evans also deals with religion, in this case Greek mythology. Back from the battlefield, Agamemnon prepares for his bath, only to be murdered by his wife Clytemnestra. The moment repeats over and over, with both Agamemnon and Clytemnestra acting and reacting slightly differently, trapped in this single moment in time. Other perspectives are incorporated, and the reader gets a sense of the greater mythic elements in play. “Lessons from Aulis” is a tad on the cryptic side, but as far as this reader is concerned it’s a more successful literary experiment than this issue’s poetry.

Finally, the issue concludes with a Graham Thomas Wilcox’s review of The Worm Ouroboros, the 1922 fantasy epic by E.R. Eddison. Much like the Old Moon Quarterly Introductions, the review meanders a bit, but it is both detailed and feels like a fair appraisal, and the writer’s enthusiasm for the novel is apparent. I would enjoy seeing Wilcox take on The Night Land (1912) by William Hope Hodgson, another early fantasy classic legendary for its archaic and challenging prose.

Old Moon Quarterly Volume 7 is another strong installment of one of the best dark fantasy fiction magazines around. With high quality stories, an extended page count, and the addition of interior artwork, the benefits of their original Kickstarter campaign are visible on the page.

At the time of this posting, Old Moon Quarterly is holding a Backerkit campaign to fund two further issues, with one of them focusing on dark Arthuriana. Returning contributors include James Enge, E. Catherine Tobler, and John Langan.

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

Conan the Barbarian – Free Comic Book Day 2025: Scourge of the Serpent

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Ivan Gil (Artist) – Titan Comics – May 7, 2025

Review by Robin Marx

The 2025 Free Comic Book Day issue of Conan the Barbarian is set shortly after the beginning of his adventuring career. Though the Cimmerian is only 17, already he has participated in the Sack of Venarium and then fallen in with a raiding party in the frozen north. After an uncanny close encounter with the divine (as seen in the “Frozen Faith” storyline, concluding in Conan the Barbarian issue #16), the youth ventures south towards warmer climes and his earliest encounters with the “civilized” world. He promptly becomes a thief, using his remarkable muscle and agility to enrich himself at the expense of the soft city-dwellers of Numalia. His latest heist turns out to be a bust, however, when he breaks into the manor house of Aztrias Petanius, nephew to the city-state’s governor. Not only is he caught in the act, but it turns out Petanius doesn’t have any gold to steal: the dissolute fop has run up massive gambling debts and been cut off by his uncle. Just as Conan is about to cut his losses and withdraw, Petanius attempts to sweet-talk Conan into another burglary, one that promises to both mollify the frustrated barbarian and wipe out Petanius’ debt.

Like the 2024 Free Comic Book Day issue, which acted as the prelude to last year’s Battle of the Black Stone miniseries, this issue sets the stage for this autumn’s “Scourge of the Serpent” spin-off. Hints about another epoch-spanning crossover involving other characters penned by Conan creator Robert E. Howard are dropped in the final pages of the issue, and in his closing essay pulp fiction scholar Jeffrey Shanks helpfully lays out the plan for the event. As fans familiar with the original source material have likely recognized, the Conan story will be an adaptation of “The God in the Bowl” (the climax of which was glimpsed in Conan the Barbarian #20). Interestingly, that tale will be interwoven with a comic book treatment of “The Shadow Kingdom,” a classic 1929 Sword & Sorcery adventure starring King Kull and Brule the Spear-Slayer. Finally, the “Scourge of the Serpent” will also incorporate “The Haunter of the Ring,” a 1934 occult horror tale featuring Professor John Kirowan (last seen in Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4). While Jim Zub’s repeated tendency to shoehorn crossover events into Conan the Barbarian still feels like a storytelling device better left to superhero comics, the story choice here is admittedly intriguing. “The God in the Bowl” is a fun story, but one of the weaker Conan tales; augmenting an adaptation of that with additional material seems like a wise decision. “The Shadow Kingdom” is perhaps the best Kull story, to the extent that which I’m surprised they would use it here, rather than reserve it for a future standalone King Kull comic title. Finally, “The Haunter of the Ring” is one of the more obscure Howard stories, but even in its original form it includes a built-in connection to Conan’s Hyborian Age. While simultaneously weaving together three adaptations feels ambitious, the more limited cast of characters should help “Scourge of the Serpent” avoid the overstuffed feeling of “Battle of the Black Stone.”

Artist Ivan Gil is a newcomer to Conan the Barbarian, but I look forward to seeing more Conan material by him. His character work in this issue is superb. His Conan is brawny, but he captures the panther-like agility that so many other artists regrettably deemphasize. His Conan also looks appropriately young; hardened by his barbarian upbringing, but still youthful and new to the ways of the civilized world. Gil’s supporting cast is likewise strong. While avoiding caricature-like exaggeration, the guards in Petanius’ manner are delightfully ugly in a characterful way. His background work with the furnishings in Petanius’ manor is intricately detailed, which gives me high hopes for the riches we’ll be shown within the vault of antiquarian Kallian Publico during “The God in the Bowl.”

For those who were unable to acquire Conan the Barbarian Free Comic Book Day 2025: Scourge of the Serpent from their local comic store, a digital edition is available directly from Titan Comics. This issue is an enjoyable read for current fans of the series, but it’s also an excellent place to pick up the series. There’s no encumbering backstory to absorb, just a young barbarian with a sword looking to hit it rich and ominous hints of sinister forces lurking in the background.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on May 15, 2025.

Conan the Barbarian #20

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Doug Braithwaite (Artist) – Titan Comics – April 16, 2025

Review by Robin Marx

Confronted by a hostile shapeshifter, Conan has no choice but to defend himself. Mystified by the invective hurled at him by his assailant, he spares his foe’s life in an attempt to learn the reason for the unprovoked aggression. Zula, as the stranger is named, accuses Conan of being a “servant of the serpent.” In other words, an agent of the cruel Stygian snake god Set. Despite his misgivings, Zula offers Conan the means to cleanse his soul of Set’s influence. He orders Conan to present himself at an ancient monument, where a risky ordeal awaits. As Conan pushes through the dense jungle, it gradually dawns upon him that the stab wound he incurred from a Stygian artifact called the Fangs of the Serpent during his botched heist with the thief Tarnasha (Conan the Barbarian #18) must have marked him with Set’s malign taint.

Part IV of the “Twisting Loyalties” story arc, this issue is appropriately titled “Purged.” Conan the Barbarian #20 both concludes “Twisting Loyalties” and provides more resolution for the two-issue storyline Jim Zub worked on with artist Danica Brine. It also leads directly into the upcoming “Scourge of the Serpent” event. While I prefer self-contained episodic storytelling in the Sword & Sorcery genre and don’t feel a title like Conan the Barbarian demands epic events, crossovers with other heroes, and ongoing continuity, I do think Zub is adept at this sort of comic book storytelling. He drops hints and plants seeds that bear fruit several issues down the line. On the other hand, the “shadow” Conan that appears in this issue feels a little too close to the Black Stone-influenced Conan seen in the “Thrice Marked for Death!” storyline (e.g., Conan the Barbarian #8). Mind control and possession have appeared frequently across multiple arcs in this series to date, affecting both Conan and King Kull (e.g., Conan the Barbarian #9), and perhaps that particular device could use a rest.

Artist Doug Braithwaite continues to shine. From both a narrative and art perspective, the “Frozen Faith” storyline was a disappointment, but these past two issues have given me a much greater appreciation of Braithwaite’s talents. His jungle scenery and wildlife depictions are ultra-detailed and bring the Black Kingdoms to life in a way that wasn’t as pronounced with the Nordheim tundra setting of “Frozen Faith.” His one-on-one fist fights in this two-parter also felt more dynamic and impactful than the mass battles he depicted in “Frozen Faith.”

From a plot perspective, issues #19 and #20 of Conan the Barbarian serve as “the prelude to the prelude,” laying the groundwork for the Free Comic Book Day 2025 issue and the “Scourge of the Serpent” event miniseries to follow. That being said, these two issues benefit from having the right artist paired with the right material to showcase his strengths. A fun story well told.

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

Conan the Barbarian #19

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Doug Braithwaite (Artist) – Titan Comics – March 19, 2025

Review by Robin Marx

Two years have passed since Conan’s ill-fated heist with the unreliable thief Tarnasha. He and his pirate queen Bêlit terrorized the high seas, but their journey together has come to an end. Bêlit and her crew is dead (a story originally related in the 1934 Weird Tales story “Queen of the Black Coast”), the beached vessel The Tigress serving as their funeral pyre. Conan finds himself alone in the hostile jungles of the Black Kingdoms. He is left little time to grieve, however, as danger lurks behind every primeval tree. Hornets nearly chase him into the waiting maw of a crocodile, and the human life he encounters is nearly as unfriendly. Suspicious villagers rebuff his attempt to barter for water and directions, flatly stating that he brings danger and is tainted by death. Forced back into the jungle, Conan is stalked by a supernatural presence, its hostility apparent but its motive unknown.

Entitled “Hunted,” this issue is listed as the third part of the “Twisting Loyalties” story arc that began with Conan the Barbarian #17. Interviews with series writer Jim Zub had given the impression that the previous two issues with artist Danica Brine would comprise a two-part storyline, with this issue and next making a second two-parter with Doug Braithwaite handling art, but the Part III suggest more of a connection than is apparent just yet. Conan’s present jungle survival saga is separated by a significant amount of both time and distance from the events of issue #18, but more than enough unresolved plot threads remain to complicate his current situation.

While I haven’t always been the biggest booster of Doug Braithwaite’s artwork—I find his female characters insufficiently alluring compared to Zub’s breathless prose descriptions, and his depictions of young Conan look prematurely aged—this issue finds Braithwaite firmly in his element. Bereaved and beset, his barbarian looks appropriately haggard. The relentless animal attack scenes also play to Braithwaite’s strengths. And while background art is often overlooked, the dense jungles of the Black Kingdoms looks fantastic here. Diego Rodriguez also deserves special mention for the fine color work. Not only is he working with a vivid, vibrant palette, but his colors effectively communicate the temperature of every scene, from steamy heat to midnight chill.

While I won’t reveal his identity, this issue reintroduces a supporting character created by Roy Thomas in a 1978 issue of the original Marvel Comics Conan the Barbarian. While my memories of this character were foggy, in his essay Jeffrey Shanks helpfully gives readers a detailed profile. Throughout his run on Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian, Zub has both proven himself loyal to Conan creator Robert E. Howard’s legacy while simultaneously demonstrating an eagerness to draw inspiration from post-Howard adaptations. Sometimes these references appear as visual Easter Eggs (like the Atlantean Sword first introduced in the 1982 John Milius film), other times in a more involved fashion. Here we have a non-Howard character that originated in a comic book, but he’s being used in a novel way: where originally he journeyed alongside Conan and Bêlit, here his first encounter with the barbarian is after Bêlit’s death. This sort of remixing is commonplace in superhero comics, but it’s fun to see Zub embrace the entirety of the Conan mythos.

The end of the issue suggests that plot threads introduced in previous issues will become more prominent in Conan the Barbarian #20, but issue #19 is a sleek survival tale that features some of Doug Braithwaite’s best artwork on the title to date.

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

Conan the Barbarian #18

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Danica Brine (Artist) – Titan Comics – February 19, 2025

Review by Robin Marx

Having decided to spare the life of Tarnasha, the foolhardy thief that invaded their bedchamber in Conan the Barbarian #17, Conan and Bêlit allow themselves to be talked into a plan to rob a local antiquarian of a priceless treasure of Stygian origin. Conan has misgivings, as his last encounter with Stygia and its Set-worshipping snake cult was an unsettling one, but he’s swayed by his pirate queen’s talk of riches and her eagerness to pull one over on the hated Stygians. The trio immediately begins plotting a daring heist. Once their hastily assembled plan is put into action, however, bloodshed and betrayal ensue.

This issue concludes the two-part “Fangs and Foolish Thieves” storyline. All previous arcs in Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian series have run across four issues, so it’s perhaps inevitable that this particular story feels abbreviated. Indeed, the pacing felt rushed the first time I read through this issue, with several elements introduced late into the story and left unresolved. That feeling lessened upon revisiting the issue, however. Tarnasha will doubtless reappear in a subsequent plotline, as will the other dangling threads established herein. The 2025 Free Comic Day Issue of Conan the Barbarian is set to launch an event called Scourge of the Serpent, and a Solomon Kane series entitled The Serpent Ring is scheduled to arrive even before that, so it appears that readers have a decidedly reptilian year ahead of them. Appropriate for the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Snake.

Issue #18 includes some entertaining references for knowledgeable Conan fans. The Stygian episode Conan flashes back to in the opening pages is, of course, a nod to the original Robert E. Howard prose story “The God in the Bowl.” The Stygian relic at the heart of the story is unmistakably the same intertwined serpent dagger wielded by James Earl Jones’ villain Thulsa Doom in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie. The cinematic Atlantean Sword and Thulsa Doom himself (despite being King Kull’s foe in Howard’s work) have also appeared in previous issues of this comic, demonstrating Jim Zub’s fun willingness to embrace the Conan the Barbarian body of work in all its forms and expressions, rather than limit himself to strict Howard purism.

Judging from online commentary, Danica Brine’s artwork in the previous issue was a point of contention for some readers. While admittedly the art style does feel a tad on the “cute” side for Conan—Tarnasha and her truly outrageous pastel outfit would fit right in with Jem and The Holograms—I’d rather see a variety of representations of these characters than witness Conan the Barbarian stagnate and settle into dead-end “John Buscema Über Alles” conservatism.

While our reunion with Conan and Bêlit is regrettably a brief one, Conan the Barbarian #18 caps off a whirlwind caper. The shorter storyline and fresh artwork show that Jim Zub is still willing to experiment with the Titan Comics series, even as the title sprints towards its second anniversary.

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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 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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