Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Fernando Dagnino
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith
Editor: Chris Butera
Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Maria Wolf, Brandon Kenney,
Mindy Lee, and J Gonzo
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 11, 2025
After Bêlit’s death, Conan transforms her ship into a
funeral pyre. Instead of lighting her body on a hill and watching it burn, he sails
Bêlit’s Tigress into her beloved sea. Then Conan wanders through the jungle. A
local tribe reminds him of Bêlit’s slain crew. But sensing evil in him, they
repulse him. So, Conan continues his lonely sojourn until Zula tests him to see
if Set has corrupted his soul.
After the death of his lover 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, Conan loses his taste for the Atlantean sword. The sword he found at
Venarium is 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 #21, 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 #16, no one objects when he leads them to victory. So, the Cimmerian
makes his home among them.
In Conan The Barbarian #21, 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 who 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.
So in Conan The Barbarian #21, the Cimmerian must once again prove his mettle
while protecting the people he has taken under his care.
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. Then, 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 #21. 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 new friends, Conan discovers a terrible
injustice afflicting towns and villages. Conan The Barbarian #21 reminds us of
the familiar patterns we unintendedly follow in our lives. Extra features include
an essay from Robert E Howard historian Jeffrey Shanks and an interview with
artist Fernando Dagnino.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my preview of Conan The Barbarian #21.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
