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 20th 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
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