Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith
Editor: Chris Butera
Cover Artists: Colleen Doran, Mr Werewolf & Doug Braithwaite
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 23, 2024
Ymir’s daughter claimed him as her worshipper. Dazzled by the flame-haired beauty, Conan chased Atali into the snow-covered hills. He battled her brothers and ripped fabric from her gown. Yet when Horsa awakens Conan, Niord sees only the Cimmerian’s footsteps in the snow. How will the experience change Conan? And how will the Aesir feel about a Cimmerian gallivanting their god? Let's grab our swords and battle axes, shout “By Crom,” venture into Conan The Barbarian #16, and find out!
Story
Before the Vanir attacked a nearby village, Niord confessed he doubted the existence of his god. When the warriors return to camp, Niord melts into the Aesir. Conan ignores the cooking and communal fires. He sits on a log and studies the fabric in his hand. So, Gorm hands the Cimmerian a bowl of the stew made from the bear Conan slew. The aging Aesir glimpsed Atali once on a battlefield, but Conan spoke with Ymir's daughter. Conan touched a god.
In Conan The Barbarian #16, not everyone in the camp reveres Conan. Gone is the respect Niord paid him after Conan helped extinguish the fires and rescue the survivors. Vanished is the battlefield camaraderie that Wulfhere paid him. Not that this matters to Conan. The Cimmerian is used to being alone. Yet, as Conan wanders away for contemplation, an Aesir attacks him.
Along with Bergen and Dag, Osmin found Conan squatting in a hunter’s camp. Given the rivalry among the Aesir tribes and their constant battles with the Vanir, perhaps Osmin suspected Conan had killed their kin. Osmin intended to injure or kill Conan for violating their borders. Instead, Niord granted the invader clemency, and Conan outshone the Aesir on the battlefield. Now, the foreigner claims to have met with their god!
In The Hidden World, the final chapter of Jim Zub’s story Frozen Faith, Conan must reconcile recent experiences with his beliefs. Conan remembers conversations with his father, how boyhood friends reacted to his unbelief and a pact he made with his father. Conan abandoned Cimmeria because the Battle Of Venarium provided no answers for his soul. Despite his father’s assurances, Conan felt no certainty in Crom’s existence as he faced death on the battlefield. In Conan The Barbarian #16, the Cimmerian must decide. Does his dalliance with Atali change anything? Or is Conan still as alone as before?
Art
While fur-draped warriors gather near the fires, Conan sits on a log, his exhalations as white as the surrounding snow. The Cimmerian seems at peace in the cold as young Conan struggles to stand near his father's forge. The glowing coals in the stone enclosure evoke a lake of fire amid their discussion of demons. When Doug Braithwaite shows Gorm join Conan in the present, the men eat near a roaring fire.
The Atali-haunted men become silhouettes framed by orange and yellow flames as Conan rises and rests a hand on Gorm's shoulder. A servant boy gazes up as Conan pauses to give him his bowl. As the Cimmerian sets off into the blue-and-white snowfield bordered by evergreens in Conan The Barbarian #16, Atali’s face and orange and yellow hair interact with closeups of Conan on a Tic Tac Toe layout. Amid the white, blue, and brown winter landscape, Diego Rodriguez paints Conan and Osmin’s clash in orange and red. But then, as Atali knows, rage burns in the hearts of men.
Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith hammer uppercase lettering into white dialogue balloons and blue narrative boxes. The utterances and musings embolden for intonation, occasionally enlarge, and rarely shrink as Conan contemplates his place in the universe. Thanks to Titan for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Conan lacked the faith that would have bound him to his tribe. Perhaps he fights harder than others because he seeks the divine assurance of his god. After dancing with a goddess and slaying her brothers, the Cimmerian must decide where he stands in relationship to his people and Crom in Conan The Barbarian #16.
Rating 9.6/10
For more covers and interior art see my preview at The Dragon's Cache.
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