Conan The Barbarian #35 Review

 

Conan The Barbarian #35 Review

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Fernando Dagnino

Colorist: Diego Rodriguez

Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Cover Artists: Gerardo Zaffino, Nick Marinkovich, Ashleigh Izienicki & Benito Gallego

Editor: Chris Butera

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 30, 2026

 

The Red Brotherhood ruled the seas. But while a storm clutched the Briney Wren in a death grip, a specter with red eyes haunted the night. Amid the raging seas, it murdered the First Officer and attacked Conan. In the morning, Captain Quinn steered his broken ship to the shores of a mysterious island where a crystal pillar embedded with Human skeletons met the crew's weary gaze. But that was only the beginning of the Red Brotherhood’s problems.

 

Now, Conan watches a cult in black robes carry his surviving shipmates through the jungle. Can he rescue Captain Quinn, Valeria, and the rest of the survivors? And why do the servants of Jaggta-Noga want the Cimmerian? Let’s shout, “Hail Crom,” leap into Conan The Barbarian #35, and see!

 

Story

Morley sweet-talked Valeria as they fought side by side. Yet, as a fellow member of the Red Brotherhood, he never pressed his affections unduly. Valeria regarded him as a jovial rogue that she could control. Then he robbed her of her voice. And with the aid of robed cultists, Morley imprisoned her in a cave.

 

As Conan The Barbarian #35 follows Valeria’s perilous journey, it also shows Conan’s loyalty to his comrades. Morley's cult may wear dark robes. Yet, Conan slips through the night, striking cult members without warning and disappearing when they threaten to overwhelm him. He seeks to free his brothers-in-arms by striking fear into their captors. And as they strive to capture him for their foul purposes, Conan seeks only their deaths.

 

While Jim Zub's story follows Conan's merciless attack on the island's Human predators, it also follows the evolving relationship between Valeria and Morley. Like any relationship, it is one of discovery. Morley believes he knows everything he needs to know about her. Valeria discovers much more about who Morley is, what he prizes, and what he'll do to reach his goals. Yet, as she observes more of his eldritch powers, Morley discovers that Valeria and her Cimmerian friend can still surprise him in Conan The Barbarian #35.

 

Art

With their wrists bound in ceiling-mounted restraints, the members of the Red Brotherhood hang in vertical panels. Standing on the sloping cave floor, Morley looks up at Captain Quinn and Valeria. He may resent looking up at these two pirates who held power over him. But as a worshipper of Jaggta-Noga, Morley is used to gazing up at his betters.

 

As Fernando Dagnino shows the Red Brotherhood's peril, the robed cultists search the forest. They carry torches as their eyes dart in all directions on another page of three vertical panels. But Conan crawls through the forest canopy like an Englishman bred in the jungle, only dropping down for a quick game of death.

 

Streaks of white light create sparkles in the blue-and-green cavern. Like the searchers’ torches, yellow flames blaze in braziers by cultist guards. As yellow, orange, and pink signal morning’s arrival, orange fills backgrounds during moments of violence and tinges attacks when scarlet flies. Yet just as pink heralded the coming of a new day, it also celebrates another visitor’s arrival.

 

As Diego Rodriguez’s bright palette illuminates Conan and Valeria's dark journey, Jim Zub's narration fills yellow boxes. Cultists and pirates' black uppercase dialogue fills white balloons. While intonation makes words bold, broken balloon borders convey lowered voices. 

 

As cultists descend into the darker levels of their domain, Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith cast enlarged uppercase words into balloons with serrated edges. Enlarged red letters accompany acts of surprising strength. Still, Morley isn't the only person who speaks large red letters in Conan The Barbarian #35. Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Conan is only a man. Yet his fierce determination to survive and his preternatural fighting abilities have seen him surmount overwhelming odds. Crom may never speak to him. Yet as he defeats sorcerers and foils their plans, the Cimmerian becomes someone the gods cannot ignore in Conan The Barbarian #35.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see Conan The Barbarian #35 Preview. 

 

Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for sharing this cover preview with us.

 

For the Red Brotherhood's first day on the Island of Death, see Conan The Barbarian #34 Review.

 

For Conan's battle with a specter with crimson eyes, see Conan The Barbarian #33 Review.

 

For how this series began, see my review of Conan The Barbarian TP Vol 1.   

 

Conan The Barbarian #35 Cover Preview

 

Cover A: Gerardo Zaffino

The Red Brotherhood ruled the seas. But when a storm swept the Briney Wren into its grip, a specter with red eyes attacked Conan during the night. In the morning, Captain Quinn steered his wrecked ship to the shores of a mysterious island where a crystal pillar embedded with Human skeletons met the crew's weary gaze. But that was only the beginning of their problems. 

Now, Conan watches a cult in black robes carry his surviving shipmates through the jungle. Can he rescue Captain Quinn, Valeria, and the rest of the survivors? And why do the servants of Jaggta-Noga want the Cimmerian?

Here's all the info from Titan Comics: 

 

Conan The Barbarian #35 Cover Preview

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Fernando Dagnino

Cover Artists: Gerardo Zaffino, Nick Marinkovich, Ashleigh Izienicki & Benito Gallego

Publisher: Titan Comics

Issue Description: 32 Pages, Full Color

Price: $4.99 US

Release Date: September 30, 2026

 

 

Captives on the Island of Death!

 

 

Conan and Valeria are pirates of the Red Brotherhood, living a life of lawless adventure on the Western Sea. But occult forces from the Cimmerian’s past have him in their sights once more. And they will not rest until the barbarian’s body and soul are torn asunder!

 

 

Here are more covers to collect:

 

 

 

Cover B: Nick Marinkovich

 

Cover C: Ashleigh Izienicki

Cover D: Benito Gallego

Cover E: Gerardo Zaffino Virgin Cardstock

Cover F: Ashleigh Izienicki Foil

Cover G: Ashleigh Izienicki Virgin Cardstock

 

Available from local comic shops. For UK & Europe visit Forbidden Planet

 

For more details, visit Titan Comics.

 

 

Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for sharing this cover preview with us.

 

For the Red Brotherhood's first day on the Island of Death, see Conan The Barbarian #34 Review.

 

For Conan's battle with a specter with crimson eyes, see Conan The Barbarian #33 Review.

 

For how this series began, see my review of Conan The Barbarian TP Vol 1.   

 

 

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1 Review

 

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1 Review

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Jésus Merino

Colorist: Jão Canola

Letterers: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Cover Artists: Roberto De La Torre, Utsab Chatterjee, Gerardo Zaffino, Jésus Merino & Stuart Sayger

Editor: Chris Butera

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99 US

Release Date: September 23, 2026

 

Conan has traveled the world. He has faced countless foes. So, when he defends a village along the border between Zingara and Argos, the tide of battle doesn’t faze him. Conan knows how to navigate the ebb and flow of battle and use momentum to achieve victory. Yet he senses a familiar presence casting its shadow over him once more. Conan does not know how Thulsa Doom’s forces will attack him next. Still, Conan senses a familiar darkness once again threatening the Hyborian World.

 

Yet wars are not fought alone. Who will join Conan in his next battle with Thulsa Doom? And after all of Conan's victories, will the powerful sorcerer gain the advantage over the Cimmerian this time? Let's raise our swords, leap into Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1, and see!

 

Story

In the Hyborian Age, Conan sits in a tavern, nursing a tankard of ale. After defending towns from raiders, he forsook his position and pay when the defenders became oppressors. But as he watches the revelry around him, Conan feels like an outsider. He wonders if his sacrifice was worth it.

 

As Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1 follows the Cimmerian’s struggle to find value in civilized society, it also checks in on Steve Costigan. Six years have passed since he fought for civilization in Montfaucon, France. After the Great War ended, Steve wandered. He sought meaning in all the death and destruction. The anguish he endured seeing his comrades die on the battlefield, and how they treated the people they fought to protect, refuses to fade. So, when his footsteps lead him into Chinatown in London, England, Steve accepts the manager's invitation and steps within the Temple of Dreams.

 

As Jim Zub's story ponders the role civilization plays in Human progress, he backtracks to the Thurian Era. Humans tend to think of time as a straight line. Yet for Gonar the Seeker, time is a circle. Sitting cross-legged before a fire in the Thurian Age, Gonar peers past the boundaries of time and space. He sees a cosmic being that Conan and Steve sense through their connection to Thulsa Doom.

 

Conan has triumphed in many wars between nations. Steve Costigan struggles to recover from serving in Humanity’s first World War. Yet a war for the cosmos, ignited by a stellar ravager and Thulsa Doom’s unquenchable thirst for power, awaits both men in Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1.

 

Art

As Gonar sits in contemplation, with horns crowning his head, a cosmic vision overtakes his eyes. A dead space appears amid a sea of stars. Yet a living Black Hole gathers stars with its tentacles to the vortex at its center. In the Hyborian Age, Conan frowns as he regards the crowded tavern. Some drink wildly. Intoxication drives others to rage. A tavern wench smiles as she delivers drinks to other customers. Yet still, Conan frowns.

 

Millennia later, Steve Costigan reclines on a wooden platform. Sweat drenches his features as a wisp of smoke escapes his pipe. Around him, smokers close their eyes and relax as they sink into oblivion. Yet Steve remains restless. Jésus Merino provides readers a glimpse inside Steve's mind. Amid decaying corpses, silhouettes of violence, and explosions, tears stream from Steve's eyes.

 

As a purple cosmic entity devours stars in a blue-and-black sky, the brown trees and ground surrounding Gonar match the interior of Conan's tavern. An orange-and-yellow vision signals Steve Costigan's connection with Thulsa Doom’s resurgence. Jão Canola uses gold to link Steve's pipe and Conan's medallions with a woman each meets. Yet like green, gold also links Steve, Conan, and the mysterious woman with Thulsa Doom in Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith convey Jim Zub’s strong narrative voice with uppercase black letters in colored narrative boxes. Steve speaks in roughly shaped balloons as he struggles to put the past behind him, and spherical balloons when he recaptures what he lost. The rough balloons link Steve to Conan’s adversary, and a voice that speaks amid roughly shaped beige circles outlined with red. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Raiders killed her parents when she was a child. She grew up as a servant. As Steve Costigan fought to preserve civilization, Zuleika served beneath Thulsa Doom. While Conan and Steve can sense the sorcerer, Thulsa Doom seems ignorant of her extraordinary abilities. Yet like Gonar the Seeker, Zuleika recognizes that time and space are illusions. As Thulsa Doom arrays his forces for another bid to take over the world, Zuleika’s role seems inextricably linked with the sorcerer and the power of the Black Stone in Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1 Preview. 

For more on Zuleika see The Savage Sword of Conan #16 Review. 

Read the Free Comic Book Day issue: Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #0 at Titan Comics. 

 

For Titan's earlier Conan events, see:

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 Review & 

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent Review.  

 

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 Preview

 

Cover A: Roberto De La Torre

Conan has traveled the world. He has faced countless foes. So, when he defends a village along the border between Zingara and Argos, the tide of battle doesn’t faze him. Conan knows how to work with the ebb and flow of death and use momentum to achieve victory. Yet Conan senses a familiar presence casting its shadow over him once more. He does not know how Thulsa Doom’s forces will attack him next. Still, Conan senses a darkness hangs over the Hyborian World that will lead to war.

 

Still, wars are not fought alone. Who will join Conan in his next battle with Thulsa Doom? And after all his victories, will the powerful sorcerer gain the advantage over the Cimmerian this time? 

 

Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

 

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1 Preview

Writer: Jim Zub

Artist: Jésus Merino

Publisher: Titan Comics

Issue Description: 32 Pages, Full Color

Price: $4.99 US

Release Date: September 23, 2026

 

 

 

The brand-new Conan event series! 

Written by the legendary Jim Zub 

and illustrated by the incredible Jésus Merino. 

 

 

 

Conan of Cimmeria believed that Thulsa Doom’s evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more and, if it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns, and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more covers to collect: 

 

 

 

Cover B: Utsab Chatterjee

 

Cover C: Gerardo Zaffino

Cover D: Jésus Merino Connecting

Cover E: Stuart Sayger

Cover F: Roberto De La Torre

Cover G: Roberto De La Torre Glow In The Dark

Cover H: Roberto De La Torre Virgin Cardstock

Cover I: Roberto De La Torre Virgin Cardstock

Not pictured:

Cover J: Gerardo Zaffino Virgin Cardstock 

 

Available from local comic shops. For UK & Europe visit Forbidden Planet

 

For more details, visit Titan Comics.

 

 

Thanks to Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures for sharing this preview with us.

 

For Titan's earlier Conan events, see:

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 Review & 

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent Review.  

The Savage Sword of Conan #16 Review

 

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 20^th 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. 

The Savage Sword of Conan #16 Preview

 

Cover A: Joe Jusko

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?

Here's all the info from Titan Comics & Heroic Signatures:

 

The Savage Sword of Conan #16 Preview

Writer: Jim Zub

Artists: Nicola Scott, Chris Campana & Scott Izaakse

Publisher: Titan Comics

Issue Description: 68 Pages, Black-And-White

Price: $6.99 US

Release Date: September 16, 2026

 

THE SAVAGE SWORD and CONAN monthly comics collide with a special crossover issue! Prepare for the launch of the new Conan mini-series, TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING, with this special issue boasting three thrilling tales from legendary writer JIM ZUB.

 

Featuring a mesmeric CONAN tale of corrupted memories and creeping madness with artist Nicola Scott, a return to the weird western world of Howardian gunslinger STEVE CORCORAN in a sequel to the classic "Vultures of Whapeton" with artist Chris Campana, and a descent into the shadowed past of mini-series femme fatale ZULEIKA with artist Sean Izaakse.

 

Bolstered with an array of pin-ups and incredible covers from Joe Jusko and Nick Percival, THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN Issue #16 one is not one to be missed!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

 

 

Cover B: Nick Percival

 

 

 

Here's a complete listing of available covers:

Cover A: Joe Jusko

Cover B: Nick Percival

Cover C: Joe Jusko Virgin Cardstock

Cover D: Nick Percival Virgin Cardstock

 

Available from local comic shops. For UK & Europe visit Forbidden Planet

 

For more details, visit Titan Comics.

 

Thanks to Titan Comics & Heroic Signature for sharing this preview with us.