CONAN THE BARBARIAN #13, by Titan Comics on 7/24/24, begins a spiritual journey for the Cimmerian when Conan heads to the White Wastes of the North to test his mettle and find his faith.
Credits:
- Writer: Jim Zub
- Artist: Doug Braithwaite
- Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
- Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
- Cover Artist: Dan Panosian (cover A)
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Release Date: July 24, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of CONAN THE BARBARIAN #13:
First Impressions:
Writer Jim Zub takes a break from swashbuckling adventure and world-ending threats to send Conan on a spirit walk to find the reality of the Cimmerian belief in Crom. When all you know is the power of your senses, forged in battle and strife, what purpose is there in blind faith? That’s the question Zub deftly asks at the beginning of the Frozen Faith arc.
Plot Analysis:
Conan the Barbarian #13 begins with Conan trudging through the frozen wilderness in the lands North of Cimmeria, carrying only fur-lined clothes and a Pictish blade. His memory wanders back to days as a boy when he was taught by his father and the men of his village to fight with wooden swords.
Conan wasn’t a natural fighter, and his elders chastised him for not showing the grit and determination needed to make him a warrior worthy of Crom’s respect. When Conan questions the men concerning how and why they know Crom exists, the men are taken aback. Knowing Conan has reached the age where he would question everything, they tell him that they’ll know ever-watching Crom made them of Steel when he feels that strength and power on the battlefield.
Hats off to Zub for launching a Conan tale that touches on a weighty subject and molding it into a context that looks at another side of Conan’s character. Conan’s relationship with Crom has always been… complicated, so there’s room to explore Conan’s thoughts about Crom in his youth and what would happen if Conan experienced, like so many of us do, a crisis or questioning of faith.
One of the things we’ve appreciated about this series is how well Zub creates new material while remaining true to the spirit of Robert E. Howard’s writings. Here, Zub departs from that spirit by taking a more introspective route, but the tone and voice still feel true to who Conan was, is, and will be.
In the present, Conan is trudging through the frozen forest when he happens upon a grisly sight. A pack of wolves invaded a small encampment and tore its occupants to shreds. The wolves eye Conan as more fresh meat and launch to attack. Conan holds his own for a time but begins to lose ground through sheer numbers in the pack. During the fight, Conan remembers another moment of questions from his youth when he asked his father which mountain Crom watches from. The answer is succinct but not illuminating.
Zub uses the mid-battle flashback to juxtapose how Conan remains focused on a challenge that could only be overcome by putting his faith in his strength and senses. How do you spend your life relying on your physical reality and still believe in something beyond what you can see, hear, and touch? Again, Zub touches on heavy philosophical questions but deftly presents them in the heat of a gripping fight.
Of course, Conan defeats the wolves. He strips the beasts for all he can use and scours the ravaged campsite for additional weapons. Needing a new challenge, Conan hunts the next day and crosses paths with a bear by the river. Rather than use a bow to slay the huge bear from a distance, Conan recalls the words of his father in a brief flashback where he longed to feel Crom by challenging his father with a real blade to feel the true heat of battle.
Through the mid-battle flashback, Conan still struggles with understanding why men believe in Crom, so he leans on the only lesson he can understand. As people often do, they search for their faith in the teachings and examples of others, hoping to find some process, formula, or recipe for making faith happen. Concluding that a connection to Crom could only be found when he’s pushed to his limit in battle, Conan’s quest for faith verges on recklessness.
The issue concludes with a test passed and failed, an unwelcome visit from Aesir hunters, and a scantily-clad spy.
Overall, Zub delivers the beginning of a new arc with all the hallmarks of a classic Conan story, including multiple fights to the death, inhospitable surroundings, and threats from all directions. But Zub takes the added step of using the familiar Robert E. Howard context to ask a universally complex and relatable question with no easy answers.
Artwork and Presentation:
Doug Braithwaite steps in for Robert De La Torre to start the Frozen Faith arc on a high note. To be clear, we’re not saying Braithwaite is better or worse than De La Torre. His style is simply different. De La Torre’s style is more classically inspired by the Bronze Age, with deep shadows and heavy lines. Here, Braithwaite’s style is more nuanced, lighter, and finessed while still presenting a Conan story full of grim drama. In short, Braithwaite does a great job.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
From the information provided on the preface page, the beginning of this arc takes place after the first arc concerning the Black Stone, evident by Conan’s possession of the Pict sword, but before the previous arc when Conan fell in with a band of mercenaries after the death of Bêlit.
Final Thoughts:
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CONAN THE BARBARIAN #13 begins a new quest for Conan in the frozen wilderness North of Cimmeria, but this time, he’s on a journey to find Crom. Jim Zub delivers all the hallmarks of a classic Robert E. Howard story, with the added twist of a universally relatable mission. Plus, Doug Braithwaite takes over for Robert De La Torre, and the art quality doesn’t drop one iota.
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