Conan The Barbarian Vol 7: The Conquering Crown Review
Writer: Jim Zub
Artists: Fernando Dagnino & Alex Horley
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez & Alex Horley
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith
Cover Artists: Alex Horley & Bart Sears
Editor: Chris Butera
Publisher: Titan Comics
Trade Paperback Price: $17.99
Release Date: May 20, 2026
He treks through pastoral lands and rough, barren country.
The nomad shields his features from the sun, the darkness, and the fury of the
elements. When he reaches the gates of Tarantia, the capital city of Aquilonia,
the guards refuse to admit the ramshackle stranger. So he waits, quietly
sitting on the ground, his form and features covered by his cloak and hood.
Will the King agree to see him? And how will this hermit test King Conan's
mettle? Let’s raise our swords, shout “Hail Crom,” leap into Conan The
Barbarian Vol 7: The Conquering Crown, and see!
The Nomad: Story
Years have passed since Conan took the crown of Aquilonia.
Yet as he sits on the throne, memories of King Numedides linger. The people
around Conan wonder why he has agreed to meet this poor traveler. And when he
agrees to the visitor's request, they question his worthiness to wear the
crown.
As days pass, the people in Conan's court ponder why he has
taken a stranger into their midst. They test him and express their concerns.
Yet Conan stands by his decision to admit the man. And he wonders why they seem
so frightened by a man who eats and drinks little, makes no demands, and keeps
to himself.
In Jim Zub’s story, a threat to Conan’s future will emerge.
Yet what troubles Conan more is the life he has settled into. He begins to
remember why he passed up offers to rule kingdoms earlier in his life. As a
Cimmerian, Conan worries about tangible dangers. Yet in this first story in
Conan The Barbarian Vol 7: The Conquering Crown, people fret about what might
happen, and fear losing the ease and comfort King Conan has brought them.
The Nomad: Art
Clad in a cloak and aided by a staff, the wanderer walks
through complex landscapes. Carved worship rocks emerge from grassy hillsides
as snowy mountains rise in the distance. When he abandons a forest, the
wanderer forges a stream in the rain. Lightning pierces the darkness, and rain
falls as a stone arch beckons him on. As sunset paints the sky with fire, a
river slithers toward a city in a valley below him. Yet after the wanderer
reaches the golden walls surrounding the city, axe-carrying soldiers order him
to halt.
As Alex Horley's lushly painted scenes welcome readers into
Conan The Barbarian Vol 7: The Conquering Crown, the guards' helmets evoke
birds. A beak shelters their haughty countenances, while the crest rising above
their helmets suggests a game piece. Unlike his guards, King Conan doesn't
welcome his visitor with a smile. Gold medallions of a lion adorn his chest and
throne. The fur warming his shoulders blends with the gray streaks in his hair.
Yet the gray-haired stranger’s alabaster skin evokes a warrior-monarch from
another world.
The Conquering Crown: Story
As Jim Zub steps back in time, King Numedides has withdrawn
from Aquilonian society. He admits few to his castle, and fewer still to his
throne room. King Numedides even forbids some visitors to gaze upon his
countenance. When word reaches King Ferdrugo de Ramiro III that King Numedides
has refused to admit Count Trocero of Poitain to his presence, he summons his
general. As his court senses weakness in Aquilonia, they expect King Ferdrugo to
order an attack on Aquilonia. But instead of attacking King Numedides, the King
of Zingara decides to chip away at his rival’s strength.
In The Conquering Crown, soldiers ambush Count Trocero and
his party as they return home. After they repel the attackers, they realize
they cannot return home. The Zingaran army masses outside Culario, attacking
the region’s capital city. In response to his request for aid, King Numedides
sends the Westermarck Wolves, currently lounging in the palace with time on
their hands. Trocero wishes King Numedides had sent his Black Dragon Knights or
his royal army instead of a band of mercenaries. Still, the Count soon realizes
that he has a resourceful military leader in Conan.
While this second story occurs before The Nomad, The
Conquering Crown provides a bridge between Conan the Barbarian and Conan the
King. After enjoying years of quests, battles, rescues, and thefts, Conan has
settled into a life that offers security. So, he grows troubled when he sees
the people of Aquilonia going hungry. Conan has seen the effect wars have on
people going about their daily lives. As Conan befriends Count Trocero, he uses
the respect and power he earns to help those around him in Conan The Barbarian
Vol 7: The Conquering Crown.
The Conquering Crown: Art
A soldier stands atop a city wall near a fluttering banner.
King Fedrugo de Ramiro III wears a more ornate crown and armor than King Conan.
Bracelets and rings festoon his hands. Gray also adorns his dark hair as he
contemplates foreign affairs. As Fernando Dagnino portrays a clash of rulers,
Count Trocero rides home at the head of a company. Diego Rodriguez colors his
cloak purple while red cloaks and crests adorn Trocero’s shoulders. As the
riders pass between red-brown hoodoos, arrows fill the sky. Then they spy
columns of black smoke rising from a city on the plains.
As a messenger approaches his throne, candles fill King
Numedides' throne room. While his general stands nearby, adorned in a purple
robe, the messenger bows amid hundreds of candles dripping wax onto the steps
and dais. Despite the illumination cast from the floor and candlestands, the
King cloaks his features in shadow. Yet nearby, a burly warrior with long gray
hair and an eyepatch pushes open a wooden door and surveys his mercenaries
sprawled across the floor. Chickens climb over the sleepers, seeking crumbs
amid the soldiers' clothing and the empty jugs and plates. Conan reclines atop
bags stuffed with straw on a wooden riser, while serving wenches nestle at his
sides.
Lettering
Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white and colored
dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters. Words in colored boxes also
introduce characters and relate narration. Or black words hover in the air, as
Conan forges a friendship with Count Trocero. Words grow bold for intonation
and enlarge for raised voices. Spiky balloons intensify the conflict, as King
Conan battles foes in a mystic realm, and the younger Cimmerian demonstrates
his worthiness to wear the crown of Aquilonia. Thanks to Titan Comics for
providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Age and experience change everything. Once, Conan left his
native Cimmeria to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled
feet. But after years of seeing the costs of war, his compassion for others
overrides his desires for riches and conquest. Then, Conan becomes a man
dedicated to peace and fights to build a world in which the virtuous prosper in
Conan The Barbarian Vol 7: The Conquering Crown.
Rating 9.7/10
For a look inside, see my preview of Conan The Barbarian Vol 7: The Conquering Crown.
For what happened last time, see my review of Conan The Barbarian Vol 6: A Nest of Serpents.
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