Writer: Jim Zub, Patch Zircher
Artist: Richard Pace, Patch Zircher
Letterers: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith
Cover Artists: Dave Dorman, Nick Marenkovich
Publisher: Titan
Price: $6.99
Release Date: May 1, 2024
Conan awakens in darkness. He inhales ashy air. His fingers
grasp against the surrounding dirt. Who buried him among the fallen? Can he
escape this ignoble end? Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Savage Sword Of
Conan #2, and find out!
Leaving The Garden
Story
Conan went down fighting. But that wasn’t good enough for
him. He’s a follower of Crom, not Kahless. He'll die when he chooses, not
overwhelmed by a raving horde. So, in Jim Zub’s story, Conan claws from his
wrappings and the shallow grave until he draws clean air into his lungs, and
the driving rain cleanses his dirty, bloody body. As lightning cracks and
booms, Conan realizes his legs don't work. But he can't remain in this
graveyard. He drags his broken body through water flowing around more burial
mounds until he reaches a decline, then pulls himself into a muddy ditch and
shelters beneath an uprooted tree.
Conan hadn't planned to spend the night with Pesach The
Plenty. But the merchant offered to pay his debts, and Conan enjoyed protecting
his convoy. He got along with his fellow guards. Pesach's son admired him. The
boy yearned to hear more stories of his exploits. But then an inhuman horde
attacked. The beastly warriors killed everyone except him. But wounds cover
Conan's body, and a broken spear remains in his leg, so the beasts mistook him
for the dead. If only he'd left the convoy and ridden north alone!
Jim Zub forces Conan to confront his greatest fear in Savage
Sword Of Conan #2. Wounds have weakened his body. His legs are useless. All Conan
has is his determination and survival skills. Then, a boy from a nearby village
finds him. Tarif admires Conan, so he brings him food. Still, the Cimmerian
must face the predators that rule the night alone.
Conan discovers a community where life resembles a nightmare
in Savage Sword Of Conan #2. He couldn’t save Pesach’s son, but Conan dares to
think he could save Tarif from a cruel fate. And perhaps for the first time,
Conan begins to contemplate what it would be like to raise a child.
Art
Richard Pace’s primitive art is as rough and brutal as the
Hyborian Age. Furious slashes and angry lines show Conan's battles with animals
and monstrous warriors. Dots swarm amid shadows and darkness. Unlike in John
Milius’ movie, Valeria doesn’t force a sorcerer to call upon demons for
healing. Yet perhaps she's there in spirit as Conan wrenches a broken spear
from his body and fashions new ones instead of sharpening his sword. Does she
inhabit the montage of images surrounding Conan and Tarif as the Cimmerian
regales his young benefactor with tales of his exploits? Sadly, Pace's art will
come to a furious end one moonlit night when apparitions rise from the burial
mounds near Conan's place of shelter.
Master Of The Hunt Part Two
Story
Soloman Kane strides through the forest. He grasps the
reigns of Nicodemus while old Gruffud rides his steed. Soloman extends a lamp
to light their way through the darkness. After seeing Lord Arawn ride through
the Welsh countryside, Gruffud tells Soloman a story about the Lord Of The
Underworld in Savage Sword Of Conan #2.
This talk of otherworldly spirits rankles Soloman Kane. As a
Puritan, these tales of gods and monsters clash with his beliefs. Yet he cannot
deny what he has seen. And as Gruffud tells him, his Lord Christ is old. Yet
there are beings older still. Some are monsters that prey on beasts and men
alike. While Soloman and Gruffud search the woods for a farmer and his son,
gods and monsters stalk the night. And a tower of great evil will beckon.
Art
Patch Zircher’s art in Master Of The Hunt Part Two resembles
paintings. Instead of colors, Zircher loads his palette with black and shades
of gray. An opening page reveals Soloman’s chiseled features, the flintlock
resting in the belt of his tailored suit, while a hat adorns his head, a cloak
shelters him from the elements, and leather gloves cover his hands. Gruffudd
bears a saintly expression while the surrounding trees extend their branches
toward the searchers. Then, a hairy arm sweeps toward the aging storyteller.
And a beast, as black as the Wampa on Hoth was white, roars. Sadly, Zircher
only gives us eight pages of story and art to savor in Savage Sword Of Conan
#2. But Nick Marinkovich follows Gerardo Zaffino and Rafael Kayanan’s lead with
a rain-soaked Soloman Kane pin-up to close the issue.
Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith relate dialogue narrative
boxes with uppercase and lowercase words. Font and word size ranges through
these haunting stories and a letter column. Thanks to Titan Comics for
providing a copy of this sword and sorcery magazine for review.
Final Thoughts
Inhuman monsters kill villagers and plant the dead in
gardens, while gods walk the Earth and guide their worshippers' thoughts in the
Savage Sword Of Conan #2.
Rating 9.2/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
