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.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on September 14, 2024.

The Savage Sword of Conan #4

By Jim Zub (Writer), Fernando Dagnino (Artist), Dean Kotz (Artist), Patch Zircher (Writer & Artist), Fred Kennedy (Writer), Andy Belanger (Artist), Jeff Shanks (Writer), Eryk Donovan (Artist), Ron Marz (Writer), and Mike Perkins (Artist) – Titan Comics – August 28, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Much like the prelude Free Comic Book Day issue, this double-sized installment of The Savage Sword of Conan helps lay the groundwork for the Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone multi-character crossover event miniseries. In this issue, each of the miniseries’ main characters has a close encounter with either the titular black stone that has been a recurring motif throughout the first twelve issues of Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian title or the mysterious eye-shaped sigil associated with it.

After a brief introductory page written by Jim Zub describing the concept behind the Battle of the Black Stone project, the issue opens with “Birthright in Black,” a Conan story by Zub with art by Fernando Dagnino. Conan experiences a vision in which he devolves to a primitive pre-human state. In a scene reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, Conan battles against other savages at the foot of the black stone obelisk. As he fulfills the obelisk’s bloodlust, he is rewarded with earthly pleasures, but the barbarian soon finds himself chafe under the malign influence of the obelisk. When Conan comes to, he’s back in the Aquilonian frontier, suggesting that this story takes place shortly after the Free Comic Book Day issue. While the artwork is fantastic, the hallucinatory nature of the comic’s event makes it hard to get too excited about the events of the story. Prophetic or not, it’s all a dream.

“Blood From a Stone” is another Solomon Kane story written and illustrated by Patch Zircher. While I didn’t feel like the plot of Zircher’s three-part “Master of the Hunt” series in previous installments of The Savage Sword of Conan quite lived up to the phenomenal artwork, this outing is a more successful one. Solomon Kane finds himself thrown in with a handful of mercenaries and remnants of the Hungarian military, raiding Turkish troops for supplies. When several of his comrades suffer mysterious deaths, their hearts removed from their bodies, Kane surmises that dark sorcery is afoot. Separated from Conan by thousands of years, Kane ends up having his own encounter with the black stone obelisk and its corrupting influence. The historical grounding of this story adds to its appeal, and the monster appearing at its climax is visually striking. I hope Zircher will contribute more Solomon Kane stories to future issues of The Savage Sword of Conan, they have been some of the strongest work to be featured in the current incarnation of the magazine.

Written by Jim Zub with artwork by Dean Kotz, “Ever and Never Beyond” deals with Brissa, the Pictish scout who joined forces with Conan during the “Bound in Black Stone” story arc (Conan the Barbarian issues #1-4). Readers of the monthly title may recall that Brissa was separated from Conan at the climax of Conan the Barbarian #4 and presumed dead. Those who read the 2024 Free Comic Book Day issue already know that Brissa is alive, if perhaps existing outside of her normal era, but this short comic fills in the circumstances surrounding her disappearance from the black stone citadel. Like Zub’s Conan story in this issue, this episode feels vaguely superfluous, like something that will be briefly recapped in a few panels of the Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone miniseries proper.

Set in 1935, “Horror from the Tomb” is a pulp adventure by Jeffrey Shanks and artist Eryk Donovan, starring Professor John Kirowan and his two-fisted companion John Conrad of author Robert E. Howard’s Cthulhu Mythos tales. Kirowan and Conrad journey to the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt to examine a colleague’s archaeological findings. It’s not long before the duo encounters a corpse inscribed with an unsettling eye-shaped rune, along with evidence that their host has fallen prey to an otherworldly threat. The general premise is familiar but well-executed, and after reading so many non-fiction essays by Jeffrey Shanks in the pages of Conan the Barbarian and The Savage Sword of Conan it was exciting to see him try his hand at a comic script.

“Matrimony,” by Fred Kennedy and Andy Belanger is perhaps destined to be the most controversial installment of this issue. It features Robert E. Howard’s other hot-blooded red-headed swordswoman: not Red Sonya of Rogatino (the initial inspiration for the Red Sonja comic book heroine), but Dark Agnes de Chastillon. For reasons that remain slightly obscure, Dark Agnes creeps into the estate of Duke Ilya Kursonovich, searching for evidence of occult misdeeds. Upon encountering the dark eye sigil emblazoned on a tapestry, Agnes abruptly loses consciousness. The audience is then presented with a truncated retelling of Dark Agnes’ origin story—Howard’s short story “Sword Woman”—but modified to include supernatural elements. While the original Dark Agnes is a fierce and entertaining character, her depiction here does her a disservice. Her story here is muddled, with no real resolution. In an issue full of realistic artwork, Belanger’s anime styling also sticks out like a sore thumb.

Fortunately, the issue concludes on a strong note with “Black Oasis,” by Ron Marz and artist Mike Perkins. This story focuses on Texan adventurer Francis Xavier Gordon, known to enemy and ally alike as El Borak (Arabic for “The Swift”). Having rescued a young prince from a rival tribe, El Borak and the youth flee across the Arabian desert, pausing to take shelter in the ruins of an ancient temple. Despite his misgivings about the eerie atmosphere within the temple and the prominently displayed dark eye sigil, El Borak uses it as the stage for his final showdown with the prince’s pursuers. Compared to the other comics in this issue, the supernatural element is nicely understated. This comic also succeeds where the Dark Agnes short “Matrimony” fails, by effectively demonstrating how El Borak is a cool character worthy of the audience’s support and enthusiasm. El Borak’s first appearance in the Titan Comics incarnation of The Savage Sword of Conan is a success, and I hope to see more by the same creative team.

Overall, The Savage Sword of Conan #4 is a brisk and entertaining read. Given the goal of this issue there’s a certain degree of “sameyness” across the issue’s stories, with each installments’ hero encountering either the black stone obelisk or the dark eye sigil that accompanies it, but there was enough variety between settings and the telling of each chapter to keep the issue from feeling monotonous.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on August 30, 2024.

The Savage Sword of Conan #3

By Frank Tieri (Writer), Cary Nord (Artist), John C. Hocking (Writer), Patch Zircher (Writer & Artist), and Alan Quah (Writer & Artist) – Titan Comics – July 10, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

The Savage Sword of Conan returns for its third issue with another eclectic selection of black and white comics, prose, and full-page pinups.

The cover story for this issue is “Wolves of the Tundra,” written by Frank Tieri with art by Cary Nord. After Conan stops to rest at the wrong tavern, he finds himself afflicted with an unfortunate case of lycanthropy. Enraged by the curse, Conan immediately dedicates himself to wiping out his fellow werewolves. Despite its extended page count, the plot is very straightforward, even simplistic. The idea of Conan as a lycanthrope is goofy fun, but I can’t help but feeling that garden-variety werewolves are a bit too banal to serve as stimulating Hyborian Age monsters; Conan is usually pitted against more unique threats. It’s nice to see Cary Nord work on Conan again, however, as his work was one of the highlights of the 2004 Dark Horse Comics Conan run. Perhaps it’s due to the monochrome presentation, but his art feels like it has evolved since those days. His rendering of Conan’s face is pleasantly reminiscent of Ken Kelly’s depictions: scarred, squarish, and mean.

The opening comic is followed by an excerpt from the prose novel Conan and the Living Plague by John C. Hocking, published as part of the recent Conan: City of the Dead omnibus. The included passage follows Conan and his companions as they seek entry to a barricaded city via its ghoul-infested catacombs. Accompanying the prose is a brief autobiographical section by Hocking detailing his early encounters with the character and how he came to write his two Conan novels. His enthusiasm for the character is palpable and his journey to publication (particularly for Conan and the Living Plague) a rocky one. While one could dismiss it as mere cross-promotion between Titan Comics and Titan Books, publisher of Conan: City of the Dead, I applaud the inclusion of prose works in The Savage Sword of Conan. It’s entirely plausible that Conan comic readers outnumber those of the prose stories and more crossover in readerships should be encouraged whenever possible. Conan comic fans are potential Conan prose fans in the making, and vice versa.

With this issue, Patrick “Patch” Zircher’s three-part Solomon Kane tale “Master of the Hunt” comes to a close. Searching for an abducted boy, Kane is confronted by the youth’s supernatural captor. The artwork for this miniseries has been fantastic; Zircher’s visual presentation of the fanatical Puritan Solomon Kane is perfect, no notes. I was left disappointed by the narrative, however. The climax leaves Kane a passive bystander in his own adventure, which is a major sin. And where earlier in the issue werewolves felt too prosaic a menace for Conan, “Master of the Hunt” has the opposite problem. “Welsh mythology is literally true” feels too high fantasy to comfortably fit with Solomon Kane’s relatively grounded milieu. While I was ultimately let down by this miniseries, I absolutely want to see Zircher return to the pages of The Savage Sword of Conan.

The final comic contribution to this issue is Alan Quah’s “Lure of the Pit Creature.” This is a wordless Conan adventure, in which the barbarian follows an alluring temptress underground only to be set upon by an immense chitinous beast. Like “Wolves of the Tundra,” this is another straightforward entry that boils down to a single extended fight scene. Inoffensive, but not particularly memorable, either.

Bonus materials include a King Kull pin-up by Alex Horley and a Conan-themed poem by Jim Zub accompanied by a striking Roberto De La Torre illustration. The King Kull pin-up is fantastic, but would have had even more impact in color. Zub’s poem “Call Thee to Crom” is brief, but succeeds in evoking a nicely grim mood. This issue does not feature a Jeffrey Shanks essay or the Chainmail letters page.

While The Savage Sword of Conan #3 is the weakest issue so far, it’s encouraging to see the bimonthly magazine continue to experiment and take risks that we would be unlikely to see in the pages of the flagship Conan the Barbarian comic title. Not every sword swing strikes its target, but The Savage Sword of Conan remains one of the most exciting dark fantasy comics around.

#ReviewArchive #ComicReview #SwordAndSorcery #FrankTieri #CaryNord #JohnCHocking #PatchZircher #AlanQuah #TitanComics #ConanTheBarbarian #TheSavageSwordOfConan #GrimdarkMagazine #GdM

This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on May 15, 2024.

The Savage Sword of Conan #2

By Jim Zub (Writer), Richard Pace (Artist), and Patch Zircher (Writer & Artist) – Titan Comics – May 1, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Following a strong first issue, the second bimonthly installment of Titan Comics revived version of The Savage Sword of Conan has arrived. The eye-catching painted cover illustration by veteran artist Dave Dorman (Star Wars, Aliens: Tribes, etc.) shows an axe-wielding Conan locked in combat with a multi-legged monstrosity atop a pile of skulls.

The cover feature for this issue is “Conan: Leaving the Garden,” penned by Jim Zub with art by Richard Pace (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, etc.). Conan awakens to find himself buried alive, the caravan he was guarding devastated by bizarre, tusked humanoids. “Crom’s children are too stubborn to die,” muses Zub, and the barbarian hauls himself out of his grave through sheer force of will. Grievously wounded and with danger nearby, Conan must keep a low profile while learning more about the warped creatures that massacred his companions. A curious local boy offers Conan his assistance, but it soon becomes clear that the innocent child is enmeshed in a twisted culture. Zub’s storytelling is muscular and solid as usual, and through Conan’s interactions with the boy Zub shows a paternal side of Conan not often seen. Dark and sketchy, Pace’s artwork has an almost expressionistic feel that suits the grim mood of the narrative. The thick blacks and contorted facial expressions are especially effective in the early panels as Conan struggles his way to the surface.

Also included in this issue is “Master of the Hunt, Part Two,” once again written and illustrated by Patrick “Patch” Zircher. Solomon Kane continues his search for the missing Maddocks boy and the hairy beast responsible for a string of disappearances and livestock killings. He’s accompanied on the trail by Old Gruffudd, an elderly blind man who seems to have insight into the recent supernatural goings-on in the Welsh countryside. While the artwork remains stunning, the plot didn’t progress as much as I would’ve have liked in this exposition-heavy installment. The ultimate showdown is nigh, however, as the finale is set to appear in The Savage Sword of Conan #3.

Bonus material includes three full-page pinup illustrations—two of Conan and one depicting Solomon Kane—and the Chainmail letters page. In response to a reader’s letter, the editor promises not only that readers can count on more gorgeous painted covers in the future, but that they’ll also specifically relate to a story within the issue. (Something readers always haven’t been able to count on with the past incarnation of The Savage Sword of Conan.) It’s also mentioned that, while Conan will naturally remain the primary draw, other Robert E. Howard characters beyond him and Solomon Kane will be featured in future issues of the magazine.

While not quite as packed to the brim as the debut issue—there’s no short story this time, and one fewer pinup—The Savage Sword of Conan #2 remains an entertaining read for fantasy adventure fans.

#ReviewArchive #ComicReview #SwordAndSorcery #JimZub #RichardPace #PatchZircher #TitanComics #ConanTheBarbarian #TheSavageSwordOfConan #GrimdarkMagazine #GdM

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

The Savage Sword of Conan #1

By John Arcudi (Writer), Jim Zub (Writer), Patch Zircher (Writer & Artist), and Max von Fafner (Artist) – Titan Comics – February 28, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Shortly after Titan Comics announced the return of Conan the Barbarian, the next question on fans’ lips was if companion series The Savage Sword of Conan would see a similar revival. Originally launched in the mid-1970s, a few years after the Marvel Comics debut of Conan the Barbarian, The Savage Sword of Conan differentiated itself from its four-color predecessor by adopting a more adult approach. As a black-and-white magazine, The Savage Sword of Conan wasn’t subject to the regulations of the Comics Code Authority, and as a result it was able to portray levels of violence and sensuality that were off-limits in the mainstream Conan title. Many readers enjoyed the added grit and mature tone of the magazine during the classic Marvel Comics run, and after such a long absence curiosity abounded regarding what a modern-day Titan Comics incarnation would look like. (Before losing the Conan license for the second time, Marvel Comics briefly revived the title for 12 issues from 2019-2020, but in this reviewer’s opinion this short-lived version did not significantly differentiate itself in terms of format or content from their parent Conan the Barbarian title.) The first issue of the relaunched The Savage Sword of Conan arrived simultaneously with Conan the Barbarian issue #8, finally giving readers basis for comparison.

Fortunately, this first issue seems geared to put longtime fans of The Savage Sword of Conan at ease. The standard cover artwork features a bold painting by Marvel Comics-era veteran Joe Jusko, showing Conan standing victorious over a pile of slain warriors in Stygian (i.e., Egyptian-themed) garb, a beautiful bronze-skinned maiden at his side. Precisely the sort of cover readers would have been welcomed with during the original magazine’s heyday. The nostalgic artwork is immediately followed up by a foreword by Roy Thomas, the fan-favorite writer and editor responsible for introducing the character of Conan to the comic book medium. Thomas provides some insight into the launch of the original magazine in the mid-70s and concludes with some tantalizing hints that he may be returning to the Conan character in future issues of Titan Comics’ incarnation.

Written by John Arcudi with artwork by Max von Fafner, “Conan and the Dragon Horde” is this issue’s main feature. Self-contained and unconnected to the ongoing Conan the Barbarian storyline, this comic portrays Conan as the leader of a mercenary band in service to an exiled Hyrkanian prince. Prince Zaahid promises riches untold to any man who helps him retake the throne from his estranged brother, but it soon becomes clear that Zaahid is keeping deadly secrets from his underlings. Increasingly skeptical and restless, Conan finds himself at odds with his employer. Not only must he deal with the giant, scaled beast defending Zaahid’s desired throne, Conan must guard himself against the lions and twin brutes that guard the prince. “Conan and the Dragon Horde” packs a great deal of adventure, violence, and sensuality within its 48 pages. Some may find the art style somewhat unconventional, but the exaggerated, detailed musculature on display vaguely reminded me of the Baki the Grappler manga by Keisuke Itagaki.

Conan the Barbarian writer Jim Zub’s contribution is something a little different than what we’re used to seeing from him: a prose story, rather than a comic. “Sacrifice in the Sand” is a short story based on Jusko’s Egyptian-themed cover artwork. The tale involves a Stygian captain named Nkosi, escorting a beautiful captive across the desert to be sacrificed as a bride of the snake god Set. Conan is depicted similarly to a stalking beast, striking from ambush to thin the numbers of Nkosi’s warrior band before ultimately pitting his sword against the captain in single combat. It was interesting to see Zub try his hand at regular fiction. When compared to Conan creator Robert E. Howard, Zub’s prose writing feels a little on the verbose side; Howard could have doubtless covered more ground given the same word count. But Zub’s enthusiasm is palpable, and he delivers an exciting vignette.

The final comic of the issue is “Master of the Hunt, Part One,” both written and illustrated by Patrick “Patch” Zircher. Instead of Conan, this story focuses on another of Howard’s literary creations: the vengeful Puritan swordsman Solomon Kane. Set in Wales, “Master of the Hunt” is a moody, gothic affair. Wandering through the countryside, rootless adventurer Solomon Kane encounters a family whose sheep have been rent apart in the night by a mysterious, hairy beast. With the husband away tracking the monster, Kane pauses to lend a hand to the Maddocks household’s wife and young son. An eerie appearance by Lord Arawn of the mythical Fair Folk leads Kane to become further embroiled in the family’s plight, and he vows to get to the bottom of the mystery. Backup stories featuring Kane were an occasional part of the Marvel Comics series, and his return in the Titan Comics reboot is a welcome one. So far Zircher’s depiction of the character seems a faithful one and his artwork is exquisite.

Other materials included in this inaugural issue include pinup illustrations of Conan and other characters, a map of the Hyborian Age, and an essay by Howard scholar Jeffrey Shanks providing additional background and publication details for Solomon Kane.

The days of the Comics Code Authority have long since passed, and Titan Comic’s Conan the Barbarian hasn’t shown any reluctance to depict either violence or (non-explicit) nudity. Is there still a niche for The Savage Sword of Conan to fill? Even lacking an all-ages/mature division in content between the two titles, I would argue that this magazine is a welcome addition to Titan Comics’ stable. With the ongoing Black Stone plot, the main Conan the Barbarian title appears increasingly invested in long-form storytelling, making The Savage Sword of Conan an ideal venue for shorter, standalone pieces. The primary title has committed itself to four-issue story arcs—so far with one writer and one artist per arc—but there is no need for The Savage Sword of Conan to play it safe; I hope to see further experimentation in terms of artwork and creative teams in future issues of the magazine. And as demonstrated with Solomon Kane in this issue, The Savage Sword of Conan also serves as a natural platform for the reintroduction of other long-dormant Howard characters to today’s audience. If the level of quality and variety on display in issue #1 of The Savage Sword of Conan is maintained, the magazine has the potential to surpass even the flagship Conan the Barbarian comic.

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