Writers: Dennis Culver, Fred Kennedy, Zack Davisson, John C
Hocking, Jim Zub & Liam Sharp
Artists: Chris Burnham, Marco Rudy, Max von Fafner, Liam
Sharp & Dan Panosian
Pin-Up Artists: Doug Braithwaite, Adam Gorham, Gabriel
Rodriguez, Jonathan Wayshak, Tom Raney & Juan Alberto Hernández:
Cover Artists: Joe Jusko & Alex Horley:
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $6.99
Release Date: April 30, 2025
Conan has battled dinosaurs. Despite his distrust of magic, Conan
has helped a witch confront someone intent on wiping out her sisterhood. He has
befriended a child in a town populated by zombies. The Cimmerian has united
with other heroes across space and time to confront the power of the black
stone. What great evils will he face next? And how does Conan compare with
other heroes in the Howardverse? Let’s grab our Atlantean swords, leap into The
Savage Sword Of Conan #8, and find out!
Treasure Of The Vermin Queen: Story
Conan has partnered with a young thief to pillage the horde
of the Ver-Men. When he and Fleek reach the temple, they observe a ceremony.
Conan thinks this is the perfect time to search the temple. Instead, Fleek
rushes in among the robed figures to prevent a human sacrifice.
In Dennis Culver’s story, the barbarian never suspected
Fleek’s treachery. Still, the Cimmerian rushes to aid his fellow thief. Fleek
justifies his lies by assuring Conan that any cult must have a treasure to fund
their movement. In Treasure Of The Vermin Queen, Conan wonders how to punish
the thief for leading him into a trap. But first, he must battle the priests of
"Bug and Bone" and an outraged god.
Treasure Of The Vermin Queen: Art
Chris Burnham’s opening page evokes Conan, Subotai, and
Valeria climbing the Tower of Serpents. But Conan and Fleek are climbing inside
a vertical tunnel. When they reach the worship chamber, they find thick stone
pillars decorated with diagonal caterpillar-shaped stripes. The lines,
crosshatching, and shading illuminate the dark chamber filled with cloaked
worshippers, stalagmites, and broken pillars. But the high priest's mask, along
with the pillars and the design carved into the wall behind him, hint at the
appearance of the god Conan must fight before he can decide on Fleek's future.
When I Was Young, I Met A King: Story
In the second story in The Savage Sword Of Conan #8, a woman
remembers her childhood. A sorcerer's minions hunted her for her latent magical
abilities. Hana’s father saved Conan’s life. Despite his distaste for magic,
the Cimmerian promised to protect the healer's daughter. After Fleek's betrayal
in Dennis Culver’s story, Fred Kennedy demonstrates how loyalty flows through
Conan’s veins. He doesn’t know whether the girl will do good or ill with her
gifts. Still, Conan won’t rest until he delivers Hana to safety.
When I Was Young, I Met A King: Art
After Chris Burnham's traditional penciling and inking,
Marco Rudy's mesmerizing images intertwine, and his characters overlay each
other as in a collage. Memories blend with Hana's narrative, while camera
angles demand the reader's attention. The visual effect is bracing,
challenging, and open to interpretation.
Kinship Of The Fallen: Story
The first four paragraphs of Jim Zub’s war poem are three
lines each. The last word of the second line rhymes with the first and second
and the third with the fourth. Then, the final four-line three stanzas rhyme
with an A, B, A, B sequence. (Apologies, ABBA fans). Jim Zub's poem
commemorates a battle, celebrates life, honors the fallen, and pledges eternal
brotherhood.
Kinship Of The Fallen: Art
In Dan Panosian's double-page image, Conan sits beside an
adoring maiden. A wooden cask and bottles fill the tables. Candles glow while
white sparkles rise toward the ceiling. In contrast to the poem, none of his
fellow warriors linger in the tavern, suggesting they drank their fill before leaving
to continue their celebrations elsewhere.
Live By The Sword: Story
In this story by Zach Davisson, another Robert E Howard hero
ventures into the pages of The Savage Sword Of Conan #8. Cormac FitzGeoffrey is
a stranger to this walled city. Sir William De Fontane rides up with a free
horse after Cormac dispatches his combatants. The knight wishes Cormac had
sworn homage to Lord Guillaume De Montfort. But Cormac doesn't want a patron.
Live By The Sword presents another Howardian hero with the
question of loyalty. Cormac’s refusal to serve Lord Montfort highlights our
relationships with authority: what bowing before our leaders gives us and what
it takes away.
Live By The Sword: Art
After opening this new series with Conan battling dinosaurs,
Max von Fafner returns to introduce Cormac FitzGeoffrey to modern readers.
Cormac’s first opponent wears a turban, leather armor, and Persian boots.
Cormac wears chainmail, while plate armor covers his shoulders, arms, and
shins. He carries a large shield as he battles his enemies. A helmet adorns his
head, and armor covers the head and neck of the horse he rides. Stone shards
rise taller than the warriors who fight between them, while tent-covered
buildings rise behind a stone wall.
The opening scenes evoke “The Shadow of the Vulture.” Robert
E Howard’s historical tale introduces the world to Red Sonya. Roy Thomas would
later reinvent the character and introduce Red Sonja to the pages of Marvel’s
Conan The Barbarian. The upraised stone spikes also suggest that, in joining
this battle, Cormac has unwittingly stepped into a serpent’s maw.
Coils of the Golden Empress: Story
Conan novelist John C Hocking follows the comic adventures
and poem in The Savage Sword Of Conan #8 with a prose story. In Coils of the
Golden Empress, Conan wanders through a jungle. While morose and mourning, Conan
also feels a sense of pride, remembering how he sent the burning Tigress out to
sea. As in recent issues of Conan The Barbarian, Bêlit’s death leaves him
bereft. Yet, unlike Jim Zub’s story, Conan finds people who welcome him with a
meal. They even invite him to join their company. If only the men didn’t profit
off Human misery.
John C Hocking's story sparkles with an engineering triumph and a reminder of how well-traveled Conan is. And then there is the monster that dwells at the heart of this
story of loyalty, betrayal, and grief. Tom Raney contributes a one-page
illustration to enliven the two pages of prose.
The Wuthering: Story
Liam Sharp closes out The Savage Sword Of Conan #8 with a
finely written and drawn tale of mercy. As Conan explores a Pictish wilderness,
he comes across a giant of a man. The densely muscled warrior introduces
himself as Tor Himdhul, a name that evokes British rock formations and Norse
legend. Tor entertains Conan with a tale that evokes another classic Robert E
Howard tale. While he taunts Conan with words of anger, he seeks kindness from
the Cimmerian. Yet what Tor asks will test Conan's adherence to his moral code.
The Wuthering: Art
Conan descends a staircase through the jungle. Behind him,
upraised stones surround a tree perched along a cliff, suggesting memorials to
the fallen (in more ways than one). Tree trunks, limbs, and exposed roots congregate
like jungle vines. Leaves flutter past Conan and onto Tor, leaving branches and
twigs bare. While Conan exhibits youth and vitality, Tor’s light hair, beard,
and features suggest a more mature outlook. In his tale, Tor rides a horse
through the dramatic landscape. His mount's musculature suggests a draft horse
trained not to work the field but to plow through an enemy’s cavalry.
Lettering
Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill the stories of The
Savage Sword of Conan #8 with uppercase lettering in white narrative boxes and
dialogue balloons. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for volume, and
rarely shrink. The narrative in Liam Sharp’s tale floats unrestricted across
panels. The balloons grow cloudy or spiky to convey extreme emotions. Sound
effects announce cracking treasure, enraged elements, a person exploring her
capabilities, and a hero’s sword breaking in the heat of battle. Thanks to
Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
In The Savage Sword of Conan #8, the barbarian hero battles
monstrous gods, venomous beasts, a relentless sorcerer, and an aging Aesir. As
the conflicts challenge his ethics, Conan also fights for and because of love.
Another Robert E Howard hero, Cormac FitzGeoffrey, wrestles with his duties to
monarchs and friends. The comics, prose, and poem celebrate the warrior’s heart
and what tests his mettle.
Rating 9.5/10
To look inside see yesterday's preview.
