THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #5, by Titan Comics on 10/30/24, presents three Conan tales when King Conan hunts a witch who isn’t what she seems, Conan finds trouble beneath dark waters, and young Conan learns a lesson about judgment.
Credits:
- Writer: Jason Aaron, Jim Zub, Michael Kogge
- Artist: Geof Isherwood, Roberto de la Torre, Dan Parsons
- Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
- Cover Artist: Joe Jusko (cover A)
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Release Date: October 30, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: $6.99
- Page Count: 68
- Format: Triple-Sized Anthology
Covers:
Analysis of THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #5:
First Impressions:
The Savage Sword Of Conan #5 is yet another winning issue in the anthology series that gives Conan fans variety in times, locations, and adventures to make your Robert E. Howard-loving heart happy. The issue brings a few newcomers onto the title with generally positive results, so make sure to call up your LCS and put this one on your pull list.
Plot Analysis:
King Conan : The Ensorcelled, Part One
A middle-aged King Conan of Aquilonia visits the kingdom of Brythunia to broker trade agreements with their foppish, entitled King Fabiano. To foster kinship between the kings, Fabiano invites Conan on a hunt, but this is no ordinary hunt as the Brythunians mean to capture a witch charged with destroying crops and slaughtering children.
When the hunting party finds the witch cornered in a cave, they find bringing her out is no easy task when every man who enters is driven mad. King Conan decides to go in, and after a harrowing battle, knocks out the witch and brings her out to stand trial. When Fabiano orders the witch killed instead of held for trial as he promised Conan, the barbarian king draws his sword with his men to ensure proper justice is done.
What follows is a series of adventures where King Conan learns that not all crimes attributed to witches are what they seem, and not all witches enjoy killing children. Before all is said and done, King Conan learns that Brythunian justice is more barbaric than any savage, and the arrival of a brutal Witch Hunter may spell trouble for Conan’s act of mercy.
Writer Jason Aaron, most notable for his work at Marvel Comics, takes a stab at Titan’s version of Conan with the first part of a tale steeped in magic, corruption, and violence. Aaron successfully captures the voice and spirit of an older, wiser Conan without losing one drop of what makes the king a barbarian at heart. Be warned, Aaron’s story takes up the first 50+ pages of this triple-sized anthology.
Further, this is our first exposure to Geof Isherwood’s talents as an artist, and the results are fantastic. Isherwood’s inks are clean and dynamic, reminiscent of the typical Big 2 styles from the post-Bronze Age years. Conan may be older and greyer, but he looks no less powerful and intimidating.
Conan: Damn Thing In The Water
Conan and his horse stop by a small pond for a drink of cool water. Suddenly, Conan is ensnared by writhing tentacles from a beast in the water’s murky depths. Conan has no choice but to fight for his life before he’s drowned or worse.
Jim Zub’s super-quick, (almost) wordless short story amazingly captures everything you want and love in a Conan story. You get the setup, conflict, resolution, and a teeny bit of wit to boot. It’s amazing how well a two-page short from Zub holds up against Aaron’s 50+ page adventure with equal (better?) entertainment value.
Plus, and as always, Robert de la Torre’s moody, thick, heavily shadowed Bronze Age art captures the spirit of Conan like no other.
Conan: Forged
Young Conan struggles to learn the intricacies of blacksmithing from his father’s direction. His father is stern but fair, and Conan is given a chance to redeem himself when his father requests he forge a simple bracelet.
While the town is visited by dancers, who offer strong drinks and many pleasures, Conan obeys his father’s wishes to forge a bracelet and earn his father’s respect. As Conan works into the early hours, he sees the visiting entertainers stealing the village’s livestock while the villagers are passed out from drug-laced wine, prompting Conan to put his meager skills in forging steel to good use.
Michael Kogge’s tale of young Conan’s early teachings hits the nail on the head (literally) when Conan learns not to jump to conclusions and to act quickly when his suspicions prove correct. Unfortunately, Dan Parson’s just serviceable art doesn’t come close to matching the power, detail, and pop of Isherwood or de la Torre.
Art Samples:
Big Picture:
Series Continuity
According to Titan’s solicit information, The Savage Sword of Conan #5 is the penultimate issue in a six-series run. As of this writing, there are no issues planned past issue #6, which is a disappointment for us. If we receive word of the series continuing after November 2024, we’ll let you know.
Final Thoughts:
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THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #5 delivers three entertaining tales of Conan’s adventures as he battles witches, sea monsters, and deadly thieves. Jason Aaron’s tale of woe takes up the lion’s share of the issue for a double-sized adventure that looks as great as it reads, and the shorter stories from Jim Zub and Michael Kogge are excellent.
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