CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #2 – New Comic Review

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #2, by Titan Comics on 10/29/25, brings together black-hearted thieves, lovelorn scholars, and a flurry of shape-shifting monsters for a cross-era romp through the carnage and secrets of sword-and-sorcery.

Credits:

• Writer: Jim Zub
• Artist: Ivan Gil
• Colorist: Jao Canola
• Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
• Cover Artist: E.M. Gist (cover A)
• Publisher: Titan Comics
• Release Date: October 29, 2025
• Comic Rating: Mature (gore, nudity)
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Page Count: 34
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #2:

First Impressions:

Conan and company lunge right off the page; this issue is all muscle, menace, and velocity. The panels manage to mix ancient horror and spry action – never a dull moment, never a wasted sword swing. By the time the final cliffhanger strikes, you’re left hungry for the next bite of venomous plot.

Recap:

Last time, Brule the Spear-Slayer invaded Valusia under the midnight shadow, confronting King Kull with words of ancient alliance. Meanwhile, upstart thief Conan’s attempt to plunder a dead collector’s treasures turns into a murder frame-up and a dash from the city guard. In 1930s Boston, occultist Kirowan and skeptical O’Donnell discover the sinister serpent cult’s coils tightening, driven by a haunted ring that turns a collector’s wife into a would-be killer. The issue ends with Kull and Brule embroiled in a fight against snake men, Conan cornered for a crime he didn’t commit, and the investigators drawn deeper into the mystery.​​

Plot Analysis:

The story unfurls over three timelines: in Valusia’s castle, King Kull and Brule face a mutinous court riddled with serpent-men posing as trusted advisors. Their investigation exposes doppelgangers, ancient feuds, and whispered sorcery; the fate of the throne twisting with every hiss and shadow.​

Cut to Numalia in the Hyborian Age, where Conan is cornered like a rat in a trap. Accused of murder and forced to explain his stealthy passage into a sacred museum, the Cimmerian’s wit and fists clash with an inquisitor, corrupt officials, and the treacherous Aztrias, the scoundrel who set him up. The tension mounts as Conan turns the tables, swords flash, and alliances crumple like cheap parchment.​

In 1934 Boston, Kirowan and O’Donnell interrogate Evelyn Gordon, whose dreams and behavior tumble into madness after donning a snake-shaped ring. Each vision and revelation peels back the century-spanning curse of Set, with chilling premonitions and metaphysical warnings haunting the edges of sanity. The ring’s power connects nightmares across eras, binding fate with a serpent’s squeeze.​

The closing pages group the protagonists into a trio of cliffhangers: Kull battling for his crown against ancient reptilian sorcerers, Conan facing unseen killers lurking in museum shadows, and Kirowan doubting whether anyone in the room is truly human anymore. The serpent cult winds tighter as all the world’s ages shudder under its return.

Story

Jim Zub keeps the language taut, the dialogue punchy and never indulgent. He knows sword-and-sorcery works best when it cuts clean and fast, delivering loud bravado alongside sharp dread. The multi-era transitions snap together like puzzle pieces. Each temporal leap is clear, brisk, and compelling.

Art

Ivan Gil’s art has muscles of its own. Sharp, detailed linework gives weight to every brawl and whispered threat. Joao Canola’s colorwork balances cool shadows and hot blood, morphing palette between centuries. Sword swings and ominous serpent motifs punch through the page with kinetic clarity, and even the quiet moments carry menace in their composition.

Characters

Kull remains the archetype of suspicious monarchs, Brule is all grit and loyalty, and Conan bends the rules but refuses to break his own honor. Kirowan and O’Donnell investigate with equal measures of skepticism and alarm, while Evelyn’s madness gives the human cost of dark magic a razor’s edge.

Positives

The seamless juggling of three eras is a standout; no timeline feels distraction or filler, and every thread pulls the tension taut. The writing’s vivid punches and the color’s moody shifts wring drama from every turn of the page. Each character feels real, vulnerable, and dangerous. Never stock, never boring.

Negatives

A few backgrounds sandpaper into fog where detail would sharpen a scene, especially in action-heavy transitions. With the high-speed timeline jumps, the risk of losing readers or muddling suspense creeps in; not every inter-era leap lands perfectly. Sometimes clarity gives way to chaos.

Art Samples:

Final Thoughts:

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CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #2 flexes with everything fans crave: razor-sharp dialogue, sprawling action, serpentine twists, art that brawls right off the page, and a clever structure that never drops a thread. If every sword-and-sorcery comic swung with this much confidence, the genre would be king of comics, not just its barbarian. The only thing sharper than Conan’s sword is the wit hidden in these serpentine pages.

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