Conan’s time shipwrecked on a mysterious island has been anything but relaxing. From the moment they arrived, the island made it clear that this was a forsaken place, with towering columns of corpses imprisoned in an unknown substance greeting them and ferocious dinosaurs ready to devour any who wander too far into its depths. And that was before the murderous cultists appeared and killed or imprisoned the remaining members of the Red Brotherhood after the treacherous Morley revealed himself. Conan alone managed to elude capture, but even if he is capable of slaughtering the cultists and saving his comrades, it will take a miracle for even a warrior as great as him to survive what’s coming.
*Mild spoilers ahead for Conan the Barbarian #35-36*
The swordswoman Valeria awakens in a dark cave, her arms bound in iron over her head. Around her hang what remains of the Red Brotherhood, few as they are. A voice speaks before her, one that had until recently been amongst those she called comrades, even friends. Morley, the swashbuckling swordsman whose greatest danger had been his incessant flirting with Valeria, now revealed to be much more than that. Behind him stand members of the cult that slaughtered the Red Brotherhood, the reason for which is soon revealed: they seek to sacrifice them to feed their master, Jaggta-Noga, an eldritch horror that seeks to enter our world. But to accomplish this, one particular sacrifice must be offered. A sacrifice that is currently stalking the island in search of his captured comrades, and who will prove far more dangerous than any of them anticipate.
It comes as little surprise that the story would pit Conan against some eldritch horror. Beyond the fact that Zub himself has stated how much he enjoys playing with that aspect of the Howardverse, the first issue of the arc hinted at what was coming pretty clearly between the invisible creature that attacked the Briney Wren and the columns of trapped corpses that greeted them as they reached the island. That’s not to say that the story hasn’t been interesting, though, particularly as the eldritch being in question here is something new, yet still connected to the larger mythos Zub has been building.
One thing in particular I enjoyed about issue 36 was the way it connected the events of Zub’s run together, providing a sense of cohesion that had been lacking somewhat since the first three arcs of the series. Zub has made it little secret that he’s building a large overarching tale across the pages of his monthly Conan the Barbarian run and the yearly Howardverse crossover mini-series, and by taking the time to map out how the events of those early issues have led here, the scale of his ambition becomes clearer. Beyond that, it also helps readers to place the story in the timeline of events, as both the monthly run and the crossovers have jumped about in time enough to make it a bit harder to follow the chronology of events at times. It also can help provide some deeper context for readers who are just jumping into the title in this arc.
My only real complaint (if it can even be called that) about the story is how quickly it fell into the familiar patterns of a Conan story. When I reviewed the first issue of this arc, I mentioned how refreshing it was to see Conan in a new setting, as he traded battlefields and taverns for a pirate ship and a mysterious island. And while the new setting did provide some interesting moments, such as Conan having to battle dinosaurs in issue 34, the latter half of the story feels very much the same as many of the prior arcs. Lots of blood and gore as Conan proves himself a greater warrior than any other, a big climactic fight with an enemy, and some great foe that feels like just another piece of a puzzle. Again, this is not to say the story isn’t a fun read or unoriginal by any means. I’d just hoped we’d see more of Conan the Pirate for a bit before returning to more familiar waters.
Despite this, the arc is by far one of the most entertaining plotlines to come from the monthly run in some time. Conan is always fun to watch as he cuts his way through hordes of foes, and expected as it may be by now, the eldritch horror aspect of the story is just as interesting here as it has been in Zub’s other stories. Beyond that, it has the best cast of supporting characters out of any of Zub’s arcs. Valeria is fantastic throughout the story, and in many moments easily challenges Conan for the primary protagonist spotlight. Captain Quinn was an interesting enough character in his own right, even if he didn’t receive much focus in the story. And finally, Morley, who quickly proved to be more than the roguish swashbuckler that he was presented as in the first half of the story in a surprising twist I didn’t see coming. All of these elements combine to create a fantastic tale that any fantasy lover can easily enjoy, regardless of whether they want to dive into the larger mythos.
Conan the Barbarian #35-36 are available now from Titan Comics
Review Guidelines
80
Conan the Barbarian #35-36
Great
Conan the Barbarian #35-36 brings the Cimmerian’s time as a shipwrecked pirate to a climactic close, pitting the Barbarian against murderous cultists and an eldritch horror with ties to his past. While the story does fall into familiar patterns as it goes on, veering away from the unknown possibilities of Conan the Pirate offered in the first issue, it remains a well-written story full of interesting characters and the timeless action fans expect from the character.
Pros
- How issue 36 connects the events of previous arcs to this story
- Strong cast of supporting characters
Cons
- Story falls back into familiar beats pretty quickly
This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.
Story via GamingTrend. Read the original article
