The Savage Sword of Conan #16 Review
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Nicola Scott, Chris Campana & Sean Izaakse
Pin-Ups: Jesús Merino, Luke Eidenschink & Leonardo Manco
Letterers: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith
Cover Artists: Joe Jusko & Nick Percival
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $6.99 US
Release Date: September 16, 2026
Conan has battled Thulsa Doom across time and space. When
Doom threatened his homeland, the Cimmerian teamed with a Pict scout to rescue
his people from the sorcerer's clutches. He fought alongside King Kull and
Brissa's distant ancestor Brule. The Cimmerian has joined forces with occult
detectives John Kirowan and John Conrad. He's stood shoulder to shoulder with
Solomon Kane, Dark Agnes, and El Borak to combat a creature that could attack
people through their memories.
Still, no matter how many times Conan defeats him, and who
the Cimmerian fights alongside, Thulsa Doom resolutely claws his way back to
life and power. How will Thulsa Doom threaten Conan next? And what other
legendary warriors will get drawn into the soul-stealing vortex of the Black
Stone's power? Let's shout "Hail Crom," leap into The Savage Sword of
Conan #16, and see!
Story
In "Conan: Massacred Memories," Jim Zub looks back
at the Cimmerian's childhood. While his father instructed him in Cimmerian
beliefs and Lyolf taught him to fight, Conan urged his older friend Hydallan to
cast off his fear. Jim Zub shows us life in the village of Erianne from
Hydallan’s eyes. The story moves back and forth in time, weaving Conan into
Hydallan’s life. It also shows the Cimmerian's life after Conan departed to
explore other lands. Hydallan’s life is filled with joys and sorrows. Yet Conan
remains someone who inspires Hydallan, even if he cannot hope to emulate him.
Unlike Hydallan, gunslinger Steve Corcoran enjoys Conan’s
fearless nature but lacks Hydallan’s morality. In "The Ghosts of
Wahpeton," Jim Zub summarizes Steve Corcoran's adventures in Robert E.
Howard's novella, "The Vultures of Wahpeton." While Hydallan loses
much but retains his will to carry on, Steve Corcoran loses everything and
lacks a reason to continue. But as with Hydallan, when Death comes calling,
Steve Corcoran gets a second chance in The Savage Sword of Conan #16.
After venturing into the Hyborian Age and the Old West, Jim
Zub transports readers to Eastern Europe in the early 20th Century. In
“The Warrior Within,” Zuleika is a girl foraging for mushrooms. Given her
Circassian heritage, others prey on her people. Like Hydallan and Steve
Corcoran, Zuleika loses people she cares about. Still, she finds ways of coping
with her losses and hardships as a woman in a male-dominated society.
Unlike Dark Agnes, Zuleika cannot channel her anger to
become a fearless warrior. Yet the skills and mental discipline she learns as a
serving girl in Stamboul fill her with her ancestors' courage. And perhaps,
like Conan, King Kull, and the Pict Brule, Zuleika can find a way to contact
her earlier counterparts in The Savage Sword of Conan #16.
Art
Cimmerians hide along the road as Aquilonian soldiers in
armor, uniforms, and helmets leave their garrison. Conan fights wearing a fur
across his back, a loincloth, and boots. Hydallan is better clothed, like the
rest of his kin. He also carries more arms and a shield. Yet Hydallan watches
Conan chart his own course, while he stays with the pack.
Hydallan remembers walking through the woods in his youth.
Older and taller than Conan, Hydallan swings a stick like a sword and boasts to
his smaller friend about the great warrior he will become. Nicola Scott steeps
her epic scenes and heartfelt recollections with shades of gray, lending depth
and reality to her art in The Savage Sword of Conan #16.
After showing Steve Corcoran riding his galloping horse away
from his failure, a collage of memories retells his recent events in Wahpeton
Gulch. Riding through the lonely desert, the cowboy eventually dismounts and
reclines against a rock, tipping his hat over his head. When he awakens, a
strange sight and a visitor propel him on an unexpected adventure. Chris
Campana uses black lines, inked backgrounds, silhouettes, and crosshatching in
this story about a Western gunslinger embarking on an otherworldly adventure.
As a child, Zuleika kneels among mushrooms sprouting around
a tree stump. Streams of light pervade the canopy, illuminating the girl and
making the ground glow. Mesmerizing imagery conjured from a battle between
darkness and light conveys the majesty of young Zuleika’s spirit in The Savage
Sword of Conan #16. Despite all the trauma she endures, a memory of a woman
clad in gems, fine linens, and a warrior's garb helps the girl endure the wooden
cages, lattice windows, hinged screens, and stone walls that enclose her in
Sean Izaase’s art.
Lettering
Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white dialogue
balloons with black uppercase dialogue. Hydallan relates his story with white
letters in black boxes, while white dates in black boxes chart Zuleika’s life.
Black uppercase letters in white boxes share Steve Corcoran’s struggles, while
letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Sound effects
fill the air as Hydallan and Steve Corcoran reach a nadir and confront a
potential way forward. Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for
providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Thulsa Doom and the power of the Black Stone unite heroes
and villains across history. As the sorcerer realizes that Conan has become his
nemesis, more people enter his orbit. Jim Zub introduces three people who have
survived against the odds. But what role they will play in Thulsa Doom’s next foray
on the Cimmerian is anything but certain in The Savage Sword of Conan #16.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see The Savage Sword of Conan #16 Preview.
