THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #3, by Titan Comics on 7/10/24, attacks Robert E. Howard’s greatest creations with beasts from within and without, but at least one story has a twist you won’t see coming.
Credits:
- Writer: Frank Tieri, Patch Zircher, Alan Quah
- Artist: Cary Nord, Patch Zircher, Alan Quah
- Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith, Jimmy Betancourt
- Cover Artist: Alex Horley (cover A)
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Release Date: July 10, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: $6.99
- Page Count: 69
- Format: Oversized Anthology
Covers:
Analysis of THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #3:
Plot Analysis:
Titan Comics returns to the many worlds of Robert E. Howard with a B&W anthology comics filled with monsters, mayhem, and grim fighters to get your pulp-loving pulse racing.
Conan: Wolves Of The Tundra
A savage werewolf stalks through the snowy woods when it happens upon a farmhouse with a simple family inside. The werewolf blasts through the door to claim its next feast, but the tables turn when the beast finds the family is also a pack of werewolves, ready and waiting to deal with the lone wolf infringing on their territory.
But there’s a twist.
All is not as it seems when the lone werewolf kills the toothsome family. After satisfying its hunger, we learn the beast is Conan the Barbarian on a quest to rid himself of his curse.
Frank Tieri takes the seldom-used path of placing Conan in the roles of hero and monster, to great effect. The story’s energetic pace, grim mix of pulp action and horror, and stellar art by Cary Nord will keep longtime Conan fans happy. Due to the high amounts of blood, this story was a great choice for the B&W format.
As a bonus, Tieri sets up a humorous ending that completely works, which is a rarity these days.
Master Of The Hunt, Part Three
Picking up from Solomon Kane’s hunt to stop a deadly Gawr and save a young boy named Roland in The Savage Sword Of Conan #2, we see how the Gawr came to be in these lands. The Gawr is one of several shadow creatures enslaved to the high, fair people of Annwyn, ruled by the Lord of the Hunt, Arawn. The Gawr murdered his way to escape from the mines of Annwyn and find a new home where it was free to hunt and live as it saw fit.
Now, Solomon Kane confronts the Gawr in a ruined castle before Roland becomes its next meal. Kane is no match for the Gawr’s massive strength and endurance, but Kane uses the gift of a magical horn that summons the Lord of the Hunt to level the fight.
Let’s be honest. Solomon Kane has a much smaller fan base than Conan, but if Titan can keep Kane top of mind with fantastic stories like this one, written and drawn by the amazing Patch Zircher, Kane’s reader base may get a much-deserved lift.
Solomon Kane is the only property that blends eldritch horrors with swashbuckling adventure in this way, so kudos to Zircher for nailing the tone of a Solomon Kane story, presented with gorgeous art.
Conan: Lure Of The Pit Creature
In a silent short story, Conan finds himself low on coin and prospects. Suddenly, a sinkhole opens in the road to swallow the warrior and his horse, dropping them to an ancient cave below. Conan searches the cavern for clues when he spots and is spotted by a beautiful maiden from the entrance of a side tunnel. Conan gives chase, but he soon learns that alluring bait comes in all shapes and sizes.
Alan Quah’s silent short is a simple yet effective one-and-done with all the hallmarks of a classic Conan story. You have ancient caves, beautiful maidens, and horrific monsters, culminating in a fight to the death that only a warrior of Conan’s caliber could survive.
As a minor downpoint, some of the finer details in the artwork are a little hard to make out (e.g. The opening page), and one or two panels during the big fight feel disjointed. Overall, the art isn’t bad, but your eye will get tripped up on occasion.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Of the three shorts, only the Solomon Kane story connects to the previous two issues or any established Robert E. Howard lore. The Conan stories are one-and-done without references that would tie them to any specific period in Conan’s career.
Bonus Materials:
In addition to the shorts reviewed above, this issue includes an original poem by Jim Zub and Robert De La Torre, writer and artist of Titan’s main Conan series, and a preview of the forthcoming Conan: City Of The Dead novel by John C. Hocking.
Final Thoughts:
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THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #3 demonstrates how successful a publisher can be with a licensed property when it puts care into selecting creators who love the property, respect the source material, and take the craft of storytelling seriously. All the shorts in this anthology are must-haves for Robert E. Howard fans.
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