Writers: Frank Tieri, John C Hocking, Patch Zircher, Alan
Quah, Jim Zub
Artists: Cary Nord, Patch Zircher, Alan Quah, Alex Horley,
Roberto De La Torre
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith & Jimmy
Betancourt
Cover Artists: Alex Horley & Cary Nord
Publisher: Titan
Price: $6.99
Release Date: July 10, 2024
A howl rends the night as wolves hunt the snow-covered
lands. A hairy giant ripped from myth and magical realms holds a farmer's child
hostage. A trap leads travelers to their doom. What dangers will Conan and
Soloman Kane face? Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Savage Sword Of Conan
#3, and find out!
Wolves Of The Tundra
Story
A family sits around the dining table in their remote family
home. Then, a wolfman tears the front door off its hinges. The parents and
children abandon their discussion regarding the following day and smile at his
howling. Then they transform into wolves and snarl. Moments later, the wolfman
stumbles outside and transforms into a Cimmerian warrior.
After this bloody introduction, Frank Tieri steps back in
time. Conan rides along a remote mountain trail in Wolves Of The Tundra. He
comforts his horse and hopes to find a lodge soon. The Hungry Claw seems
heaven-sent. He enters a tavern filled with revelry and laughter. Yet silence
descends, and frowns greet him. Conan strides between the disdainful locals and
orders refreshments and a bed for the night. The locals won't let him eat in
peace. Conan dislikes anyone getting between him and his snarling stomach. But
when he gets fight-y, the locals get bitey. Darkness falls. When Conan awakens,
The Hungry Claw is empty. Yet when he steps outside, Conan transforms into a
snarling beast.
Often compared to a wolf, our Cimmerian hero becomes one in
Savage Sword Of Conan #3. Conan has never shied away from violence. But a curse
means someone controls him, and independence is paramount to Conan. So he hunts
for who did this to him and how to escape his unwanted curse. Despite lapses
into savagery, Conan focuses on his goal. Amid all the bloodletting, Tieri’s
story sparkles with moments of tenderness and humor to make Wolves Of The
Tundra a fast-paced, entertaining story featuring a very Human hero.
Art
Cary Nord contributes ink-washed paintings to Frank Tieri’s
story in Savage Sword Of Conan #3. A black wolf treads through white snow,
while a gray sky reveals the white silhouettes of trees and the family home.
Black claws scratch wood framing as the Cimmerian wolf stares through a
snow-kissed window at a bearded father seated beside his son and a mother and
daughter wearing dresses and bonnets. When the door flies off, the family
stands against an inked background. Moonlight paints them in white and gray. Their
eyes shine white, and their lips part to reveal pointed teeth. Conan regards
his horse as a friend and greets the unwelcoming locals with his barely
contained savagery. A montage of images cascades around a farmer as he tells
Conan his tale. A double-page spread centers upon Conan's face, half
transformed into a howling wolf, surrounded by battle scenes, as the Cimmerian
strives to free himself from the unwanted curse.
Master Of The Hunt Part Three
Story
No one rests easy in the Vale of Glamorgan. Gwenllyan
Maddocks worries about what became of her husband, son, and hired hand. Soloman
Kane sought them out on the woman’s behalf. His search leads him to Castle
d’Orbec. Like the Incredible Hulk, the Gawr dislikes puny Humans and doesn't
take kindly to strangers. This final act of Patch Zircher’s tale reveals the
Gawr’s history, his place in Tylwyth Teg society, and why he fled the
Otherworld for ours. In this tale steeped in magic and mythology, Robert E Howard's
Puritan hero discovers that no man is an island and that belief in a
monotheistic god doesn't preclude the existence of other divine beings.
Art
Patch Zircher’s detailed art portrays the elegant city of
Annwyn, compares the half-breed Arawn with the high-born population, and shows
how hard the Bigfoot-like Gawr toils for little reward. Zircher frames the
sword and flintlock-wielding Puritan against decaying grandeur. A stream flows
through the abandoned castle while a ferocious giant charges through the water
to destroy the intruder.
Novel Excerpt
Savage Sword Of Conan #3 boasts an excerpt from John C.
Hocking’s Conan and the Living Plague, one of two novels in Titan’s new omnibus
Conan: City Of The Dead. Conan joins a team sneaking into the city of Dulcine
through the graveyard’s catacombs. Hocking paints a vivid portrait of the
heinous creatures who guard the city’s dead from intruders. In an interview, he
mentions that his father introduced him to Conan through the Lancer paperbacks.
Hocking followed the Cimmerian's adventures through comics and pastiches. He
eventually wrote two Conan novels. Publishers purchased both, but only one reached
bookshops until Titan published both in an omnibus last month.
Call Thee To Crom
Jim Zub’s poem recalls The Riddle of Steel and the battle of
Venarium, the crucibles that forged Conan's character in Robert E Howard's
stories, John Milius’ iconic movie, and Zub’s Conan The Barbarian series for
Titan. Roberto De La Torre’s drawing of Conan evokes John Buscema’s art in
Marvel’s classic series.
Lure Of The Pit Creature
Conan rides through the forest in Savage Sword Of Conan #3.
Without warning, he and his horse plummet into a chasm. Conan wakes to discover
someone is watching him. Yet when he pursues, she flees. Alan Quah illustrates
his silent story with inkwashed panels filled with atmosphere and action. Quah
packs his tale of maidens and monsters with panels that invoke excitement and
awe.
Lettering
Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt, and Tyler Smith fill
dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with uppercase and lowercase words. The
Gawr speaks giant white words in black balloons. Sound effects help us hear a
flintlock discharge, claws slash, teeth bite, and werewolves howl. Thanks to
Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
In Frank Tieri’s blood-dripping tale, Conan is Once Bitten,
Twice Shy. Patch Zircher’s Soloman Kane finale evokes classic adventure tales
by H Rider Haggard. Alan Quah drops the Cimmerian into an underworld guarded by
a menacing monster. The stories and art in Savage Sword Of Conan #3 celebrate
the barbarian hero's origins in Weird Tales magazine.
Rating 9.5/10
For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
