Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents Review

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Fernando Dagnino

Colorist: Diego Rodriguez

Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Editor: Chris Butera

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian & Greg Staples

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: January 13, 2026

 

 

After Bêlit's death and his battle with a shapeshifter, Conan travels back in time. He fights alongside King Kull and the noble Pict Brule. Conan prevents Thulsa Doom from rising to power. But in the process, the Atlantean sword he found at Venarium becomes a painful reminder of Bêlit and the ancient sorcerer. So, when he returns to Shadizar, Conan discards it. Where will Conan's travels take him next? Let's grab our swords and battle axes, shout “By Crom,” venture into Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents, and find out!

 

Story

Conan first tries joining a group of mercenaries. The soldiers hail from lands he knows well. Yet he feels like a stranger among them. When he meets the Bamula tribe, they honor him as Amra, the name Conan took when sailing on the Tigress. This pleasant association with Bêlit and his short but intense pirate career gives Conan something he lost. Conan helps the Bamulas combat their enemies. Unlike his time among the Aesir in Conan the Barbarian Vol 4: Frozen Faith, no one objects when he leads them to victory. So, the Cimmerian makes his home among them.

 

In Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents, Jim Zub reminds us that we often find ourselves in unexpected places. Family may be the people who raise us. But we also find friendship, belonging, and love in unexpected places as we grow and change. Jim Zub also honors Robert E Howard’s stories by rejoining Conan’s life after “The Vale of Lost Women.” As in “Sacrifice in the Sand,” Jim’s story in The Savage Sword of Conan #1, Conan rescues a maiden from death. But this time, it is the beautiful Livia whom Conan intends to return to her people.

 

Unfortunately for him, fate has a different plan in store for the Cimmerian. He and the Bamula discover a town where people seem incurably happy. Yet their graciousness and kindness feel too good to be true. In Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents, the Cimmerian must once again prove his mettle while protecting the people he has taken under his care. Yet as he faces foes old and new, he must confront his fear of losing his freedom by accepting a life of contentment in a gilded cage.

 

Art

Fernando Dagnino opens with a splash page that evokes Roy Thomas' early Conan stories for Marvel. After glimpses of Conan's recent history, Dagnino shows the Cimmerian as long-time readers remember him: clasping a maiden in his arms as he rides. Then Dagnino shows Conan and the Bamula entering a town with a tower rising from the epicenter. The locals greet their visitors by casting flowers into the air and draping leis around their necks. They lead Conan and the Bamulas to a tavern, where they fill their guests' tankards and bring steaming platters to their table.

 

Diego Rodriguez plays with light, contrasting nights around a glowing orange campfire with fights amid green and blue. Conan and the Bamulas rescue Livia beneath the full moon in a blue sky. The sun's yellow rays burst behind Conan in the orange and blue morning sky. Yet the sky fills with yellow and brown as the travelers reach their evening stop. As Dagnino switches camera angles, many locals watch from the shadows, cloaked in shadows.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith conjure uppercase lettering into white dialogue balloons and yellow narrative boxes in Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents. Words grow bold for intonation, occasionally enlarge, and rarely shrink. Shouts turn red and threaten to burst balloons as Conan insists he determines his future, while green letters warn of imminent danger. Thanks to Titan for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

While protecting his friends, Conan discovers a terrible injustice afflicting towns and villages. The Cimmerian may distrust magic. But to extricate himself from a future that offers nothing but conformity and death, Conan must team up with a magical being and invade the stronghold of a mighty sorcerer in Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Conan the Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents.

 

Conan The Barbarian #23 Review

 

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Fernando Dagnino

Colorist: Diego Rodriguez

Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Editor: Chris Butera

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Greg Staples, Joel Gomez & Sweeney Boo

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 13, 2025

 

When Conan rescued Livia from Bajujh’s Balakah tribe, he led the Bamulas away in triumph. But then the grinning people of Daynt captured them with kindness. The sorceress Athyr-Bast owns Conan and Livia. And as Conan excels in the arena, he begins to wonder: What is best in life? Will Conan and Livia live out their days in Athyr-Bast’s household? Or will she use them to undermine Thoth-Amon’s dominance in Kheshatta? Let's grab our swords and battle axes, shout “By Crom,” charge into Conan The Barbarian #23, and find out!

 

Story

After making Conan the centerpiece of her elegant soirée, Athyr-Bast said, "Do you not wish to warm yourself by my fire?" Conan found it as hard to resist Athyr-Bast’s willpower as he did Thulsa Doom's mesmerizing stare. Then Zula climbed in through the window and knocked the sorceress out.

 

Conan has waited patiently for this moment. It has cost him the lives of his friends. Now, he has a chance to rescue Livia and escape Kheshatta. Instead, Zula says, “You owe me.” So, Conan repays Zula for saving him from Set’s corrupting influence.

 

Zula guards the Black Kingdoms against Set’s attacks. For the last month, he has been in Kheshatta, listening for clues to the snake cult’s plans. Perhaps, like Athyr-Bast, he sat in the grandstands near the sorcerers, as Conan battled other gladiators in The Pit. Zula knows Thoth-Amon has arranged a meeting with Athyr-Bast. The shapeshifter intends to take the place of the sorceress. But in Conan The Barbarian #23, Zula fears entering Thoth-Amon's presence alone.

 

In Jim Zub’s story, Zula and Conan face danger as they stride through the dark streets of Kheshatta. Like Maya in Space 1999, Zula can only maintain Athyr-Bast's form for a limited time. As Set's supreme servant, Thoth-Amon knows appearances can be deceiving. And then, there is the problem of Athyr-Bast. When she awakens, she probably won’t tell Conan, “We have warmth. That’s so hard to find in this world.”

 

Art

As Zula stands in Athyr-Bast’s stone bedroom, he gazes out the arched window. The sculpted towers rising above the tenements find echoes in the enchantress’s carved bedposts and attire. Zula demonstrates that gender does not define a shapeshifter’s identity in Conan The Barbarian #23. Conan adopts similar adornments to those of his owner. The artistic helmet and gorget seem better suited to princely Elric of Melniboné than the Cimmerian.

 

As Fernando Dagnino shows the disparity between rich and poor, Diego Rodriguez paints the night purple on Conan and Zula’s nocturnal adventure. Green links the sorcerers with their god, while gold links Conan with "Athyr-Bast." The sorcerers wield white and yellow energy that intensifies with anger. Red connects Zula’s blood magic with a case of mistaken identity. But when it creeps into the skies, Conan and Zula stand to lose more than a glass slipper.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith conjure uppercase lettering into white dialogue balloons and yellow narrative boxes in Conan The Barbarian #23. Words grow bold for intonation, occasionally enlarge, and never shrink as Conan and Zula brave the narrow streets of those who live far below their sorcerous rulers. Words swell and change color, while balloons sprout spikes as sorcerers rage like angry gods. Thanks to Titan for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

As Zula and Conan pass the poor standing before their homes or sitting in the alleys, they risk discovery on several fronts. Their undercover mission will cost them. And the Cimmerian will learn more about his shapeshifting ally in Conan The Barbarian #23.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Conan The Barbarian #23.