The Savage Sword of Conan #9 Review

 

 

Writer: Patrick Zircher & Fabian Nicieza

Artist: Patrick Zircher & Sean Chen

Pinup Artists: Valerio Giangirodano & Geof Isherwood

Letterers: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Cover Artists: Neal Adams & Alex Horley

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $6.99

Release Date: July 9, 2025

 

Conan and Valeria teamed up to battle a dragon. Despite Xuchotl's age and wealth, they also found treachery and sorcery. Surrounded by death, Conan and Valeria leave the city covered in emerald behind. The dragon killed their horses. How will the two pirates enjoy their hike back to the sea? And what threats did King Kull face thousands of years before the events in Red Nails? Let's grab our swords, leap into The Savage Sword of Conan #9, and see!

 

The Sunless Isle: Story

Relying on each other in combat is one thing. Getting along, especially when tired and hungry, is another. King Olmec tried to rape Valeria. Queen Tascela attempted to steal her youth. As they walk, Valeria's sense of violation grows. She ended up in Xuchotl because she dared to kill a rapist. So, despite their plan to go to the Stygian coast, Valeria argues they should head to Shem instead. Conan dislikes the change of plan. But even in the Hyborian Age, a woman had a right to change her mind.

 

Patrick Zircher’s tale in The Savage Sword of Conan #9 takes Conan and Valeria to Asgalun, a great port and trade center of Shem. Like Conan, Valeria, and Subotai in John Milius’ story, the travelers’ exploits attract the monarch's notice. And as with King Osric of Zamora, King Uziaman wants the wayfarers to free his land of a menace. But this time, instead of traveling to battle an evil sorcerer, they bring one to aid their cause.

 

The Sunless Isle reminds us that friendship doesn’t erase our uniqueness, and embracing our differences makes us stronger. By building the tension between Conan, Valeria, the sorcerer Netahn, and their fellow travelers, Patrick Zircher enhances his action-packed story with naturally arising drama.

 

The Sunless Isle: Art

Conan and Valeria stand amid the slain. The emblem of Xuchotl, and the nails embedded in an ebony pillar, no longer fill its inhabitants with pride. But Conan and Valeria regard each other in triumph. They smile as they walk together through the surrounding forest. When the trees give way to arid plains, the distance between the travelers grows. Then, Patrick Zircher shows Conan and Valeria unleashing their frustrations as they battle side by side, protecting a caravan in The Savage Sword of Conan #9.

 

Highly detailed pencils convey the grandeur of Asgalun, give King Uziaman’s throne room a regal air, and transport the reader on an ocean expedition battling storms and stillness. A mysterious island, an ancient palace adorned with an immense carved likeness of its ruler, and the dangers Conan and Valeria encounter evoke the movies of Ray Harryhausen and Peter Jackson. Yet the appearance of the sorcerer with whom they travel recalls a villain from John Boorman's homage to the legendary King Arthur.

 

The Invisible Assassin: Story

Fabian Nicieza opens a new era of King Kull’s reign. Valusia enjoys peace and prosperity after emerging victorious from war. Kull’s friend Brule rules the Allied Pictish Isles. Kelkor, the commander of the Red Slayer guard, has been exonerated. Tolahn, newly appointed commander of the Black Legion army, has demonstrated patience and wisdom in battle. Kull returned from a recent trade expedition from Pai-P’u-Yen with a scientific breakthrough. The new crystalline armor represents an improvement over other types of armor. But how can you confirm an armor's superiority if you lack a foe to test its battle worthiness?

 

In this second, shorter story in The Savage Sword of Conan #9, Kelkor and Tolahn battle a new threat. Empowered by their superior armor, the leaders face a seemingly invulnerable foe. Fabian Nicieza ponders the value of working together and why we fought for our hard-won goals.

 

The Invisible Assassin: Art

Sean Chen delivers lavish depictions of Valusia’s splendor and the romance of armored knights competing for honor in tournaments. Horse-drawn carts transport harvested crops, while guards surround the rounded towers and domes that rise beyond the city walls. Imprints and direction lines suggest the wind. Stars flare around a man’s face, and geometric designs adorn his barely perceptible form.

 

Lettering

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith deliver uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Words swell for raised voices, and music notes accompany melodious tones. Councilor Tu's recollections appear as cursive lowercase letters. While larger than the printed words, their elegant counterparts in gray boxes slow the pace. Sound effects evoke beings from Clash Of The Titans, Mysterious Island, and some of Roy Thomas’ earliest stories in Marvel’s Conan The Barbarian. Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Desire can sweep us away. In our quest for what we want, we can easily lose sight of others’ rights. Patrick Zircher’s story about Conan and Valeria focuses on the destructive nature of unrestrained sexual desire. Then, Fabian Nicieza delivers a timely meditation comparing the perception of war with the dangers of peace in The Savage Sword of Conan #9.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Savage Sword of Conan #9.