CONAN THE BARBARIAN #25 – Review

In CONAN THE BARBARIAN #25, available from Marvel Comics on September 8th, 2021, Conan fights to the death in four tales of high adventure in this Legacy #300 Anniversary issue.

The Details

• Written By: Jim Zub, Larry Hama, Dan Slott, Priest F.K.A Jim Owsley
• Art By: Cory Smith, Roberto Poggi, Paul Davidson, Marcos Martin, Roberto De La Torre
• Colors By: Israel Silva, Neeraj Menon, Muntsa Vicente, Java Tartaglia
• Letters By: VC’s Travis Lanham
• Cover Art By: Geoff Shaw, Edgar Delgado
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Release Date: September 8, 2021

Was It Good?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, you may be wondering why we’re reviewing a Marvel comic. This site focuses on honest and fair reviews of indie and small(er) publishers, so what gives?

Well, we always strive for balance with what our readers want, and our readers love Robert E. Howard-style pulp comics. So, we can make an exception for Marvel in this case. Now, let’s get to it.

As far as anniversary anthologies go, this one is phenomenal. Each story gets to the point, keeps the focus squarely on Conan, and tells an entertaining short story. There aren’t any tricks or gimmicks. The different art styles are fairly complementary to each writer. And every story ranged from good to great.

I’ll cover each story more closely in the next section, but know that this is a solid anthology all around. If you enjoy Conan comics, this is an excellent book to pick up.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Since this is an anthology, we’ll briefly cover each story separately, and whether it worked or not on its own merits.

Until Our Stories End

Conan and the Pirate queen, Bêlit, search an abandoned temple to discover its secrets. When they approach an inner chamber, they find large orbs that conjure versions of Conan from his past and future to kill or die to be the last Conan standing.

This story felt like the most complete and polished of the four, possibly because it’s the longest. The art reflects a modern Marvel house style with excellent coloring and lettering. The story also used the magical battle (and the outcome) to make a not-so-subtle point about living for today that worked better than you might think.

A Civilized Man

Conan is far from home and alone in the Northern Mountains when he’s accosted by a group of Northerners near Asgard. The Northerners approach Conan with elitist disdain for his lack of civilized culture… that is until Conan kills every last one of them.

This entry is more of a vignette than an actual story. The art’s solid and the point is really about Conan showing “cultured” snobs that culture won’t keep your head attached to your neck.

Night of Oblivion

Conan is conscripted by bounty hunters to retrieve a rare jewel, save a damsel, and kill an evil wizard. All while completely drunk. Unfortunately, his conscriptors weren’t smart enough to stay out of Conan’s way when he hacks and slashes in a drunken stupor.

Easily, this is the most humorous of the sentries, and kudos to Dan Slott for a completely silent story that gets the job done seamlessly. I’m generally not keen on this style of art but it suits the story well.

Conan The King

Heavy is the head of (former) King Conan when a foe he once slew is back from the dead, powered by demonic forces, to take Conan’s sword and head in revenge. The tired old king has no patience for glory or bloodletting unless it’s to release the possessed soul of a boy.

Bonus points to this story for using the classic Bronze Age art style with tons of dramatic shadows and creepy demon designs. In many ways, this is a throwback story to the early days of early Conan comics, and it even includes a twist ending that made it feel like it could be at home in the pages of Creepy magazine. This entry, by far, gives off the strongest feelings of nostalgia for classic Conan.

Final Thoughts

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #25 is one of the strongest and most entertaining Anniversary Anthologies in recent memory. There’s not a weak short story in the bunch, and each entry has a unique perspective to offer on the creation of Robert E. Howard. Conan fans will be very happy with this issue.

Score: 9.5/10