The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 Review Part 1

 

Writers: Jim Zub, Patch Zircher, Jeffrey Shanks, Fred Kennedy & Ron Marz

Artists: Fernando Dagnino, Patch Zircher, Dean Kotz, Eryk Donovan, Andy Belanger & Mike Perkins

Pin-Ups: Nick Marinkovich, Fernando Dagnino, Patch Zircher, Dean Kotz, Eryk Donovan, Andy Belanger, Mike Perkins & Roberto De La Torre

Letterers: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt

Cover Artists: Alex Horley & Cary Nord

Publisher: Titan

Price: $6.99

Release Date: August 28, 2024 

 

 

The symbol inscribed on a black stone permeates time and space. It haunts the rich and poor alike, tempts people in remote villages and bustling towns, and calls heroes to battle. How might its power challenge Conan, Soloman Kane, and the Pict scout Brissa? And how might it affect lesser-known Robert E Howard characters like Conrad, Kirowan, Dark Agnes, and El Borak?

 

Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Savage Sword Of Conan #4, and find out! 

 

 

 

Birthright In Black: Story

Conan spots a sigil inscribed on the flesh of a dead Pict. The symbol awakens a mindless past when people fought for no more reason than to fulfill their savage drives. Lust calls him to forsake reason and fulfill his passions. Will Conan's uncivilized upbringing allow him to keep these animal instincts at bay? Or will they enslave him? Jim Zub’s story draws inspiration from Robert E Howard’s novella Beyond The Black River and reminds us that powerful symbols can sway peoples and nations to pursue savage causes. 

 

 

 

Birthright In Black: Art

Lightning crashes through the night as Conan strides through a narrow defile. He cries out as his features change, and he reverts to a primal species of man, evoking Howard’s story Rogues In The House. Ample shading enhances Fernando Dagnino's haunting scenes of Conan braving the terrors of his subconscious mindscape, regressing to savagery, and giving into pleasure before returning to the present.

 

Blood From A Stone: Story

Soloman Kane aids the Hungarian resistance. Their battle against the Ottoman Empire has not gone well. Kane is one of three mercenaries aiding two surviving Hungarians. Turks pursue them. Their path ends at the foot of a cliff. Kane and the men manage to elude their pursuers, but now their company is one man smaller. That night at camp, Kane contemplates Captain Kodaly’s tactics. The experienced officer leads them deep into Ottoman-held Transylvania, where the locals will likely turn them in. Patch Zircher’s story is a haunting and affecting story. Captain Kodaly’s methods may be less than honorable, but he seeks to free his people and reconnect with his roots. Soloman Kane's nightmare journey draws upon our fascination with the occult and evokes a time when giants, gods, and monsters walked the Earth. 

 

 

 

Blood From A Stone: Art

Patch Zircher's toned and detailed art resembles sepia photographs or Old School book illustrations. He portrays the Fatigued Five from an off-kilter angle before giving closeups of each teammate. Dramatic upshots and downshots enhance the stakes for our heroes. The pursuing Turks halt their company to load and aim their flintlock rifles. Lines portray flying bullets as the company climbs along a narrow ledge. Another down shot reveals Soloman climbing down a tree toward the men gathered around the campfire. He stands above them as they sleep before he sits against the tree and lowers his hat over his eyes. When he awakes, there will be madness.

 

Ever And Never Beyond Story

Brissa fought beside Conan against her people when The Army Of The Lost invaded Cimmeria. They pursued the mindless creatures and freed captives from a dark citadel. Yet Conan remained behind, and after Brissa led the prisoners outside, she yearned to join him. So she returned to the citadel and fought the zombies until the passageway shook, and the floor crumbled beneath her feet. In Jim Zub’s story, Brissa plummets into the strange pool as Conan. What she sees in those dark waters reconnects her with her severed past. In Ever And Never Beyond, Brissa pursues her destiny, vowing to live up to the ideals of her people.

 

 

 

Ever And Never Beyond: Art

Dean Kotz opens with an initiation ceremony, as the chief celebrates young Pict youths leaving their childhood behind. Scenes of Brissa venturing alone into Thulsa Doom’s domain interweave with memories at Conan’s side as they fought and pursued her decaying kin. Brissa begins this adventure with a sword but embarks on another journey with a spear, evoking Conan's interview with Bruhl and fighting alongside the ancient Pict when Conan fell through time to aid King Kull in Conan The Barbarian. 

 

 

I'll post the remaining three stories, lettering, and final thoughts tomorrow in Part 2. Stay tuned!