Titan Comics has revived the black and white newsprint Savage Sword of Conan, and this first issue is well worth your $6.99.

Beginning with an introduction by Roy Thomas about the history of the title (and teasing his involvement in future titles), Savage Sword kicks off for good with the epic “Conan and the Dragon Horde” by John Arcudi and Max von Fafner. This story is filled with classic Conan themes like greed, lust, and fear of the unknown as Conan’s mercenary gig turns into a hellish nightmare. Von Fafner brings the blood, gore, and big animals using cutting diagonal panels for the more powerful fight scenes. The story has kind of a road trip format taking us to exotic and dangerous places in the Hyborian Age, and there’s some romance too with Conan having searing chemistry with siege weapons engineer Ineah.

This dragon/dinosaur slaying yarn is followed by a prose flash fiction story from Jim Zub that is heavy on adjectives, but redeems itself through visceral action sequences and pointed commentary about religious fanaticism through Conan’s conflict with the Stygians.

As well as Conan, Savage Sword features the first part of a Solomon Kane serial from Patrick Zircher and a companion essay from Jeffrey Shanks that sets up this lesser known character’s role in pop culture. The Conan story is definitely more engaging, and the Solomon Kane serial leads off with a lot of info dumping about Welsh folklore and mythology before turning into a monster story. I definitely enjoy Zircher’s black and white work here than his work for Marvel and DC especially his use of shadow when the mysterious Gawr takes a family’s livestock.

All in all, Savage Sword of Conan #1 is a worthy return of this title and a showcase of gorgeous sword and sorcery visuals paired with insightful arcs for Conan and Solomon Kane.

Story: John Arcudi, Roy Thomas, Jim Zub, Patch Zircher, Jeffrey Shanks
Art: Max von Fafner, Joe Jusko, Patch Zircher, Roberto De La Torre, Rebeca Puebla, Gerardo Zaffino, Howard Chaykin
Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

I’ll admit, my knowledge of Conan the Barbarian is limited. I’ve read some comics. I’ve read some arcs, series, and overall I’ve enjoyed it. The recent relaunch from Titan Comics has sucked me in with a great classic feel to it. So, I was intrigued to check out The Savage Sword of Conan #1, a new addition to Titan’s line based on the classic Robert E. Howard characters. What I found was a solid anthology, mixing prose, comics, and pin-ups. It’s different enough to stand out from the ongoing series and opens up a lot of opportunity for what’s to come.

The Savage Sword of Conan #1 is packed with two comics, a prose story, some history, and lots of art. It’s a great mix not just featuring Conan, but Solomon Kane as well. For those that might not want a sweeping epic, but instead some fun, short pulp entertainment, the comic fills that niche, delivering something that’s not as common in comics today.

Most importantly, The Savage Sword of Conan #1 delivers an entry point that anyone can dive in and enjoy. You don’t need to know these characters to appreciate the stories and be entertained by them.

John Arcudi and Max von Fafner handle the story and art for Conan and Patch Zircher delivers the return of Kane with both story and art. Both are solid additions to each character playing off their strengths, and in both, not being tied down by an ongoing series with arcs. You can sit back and enjoy them.

Jim Zub provides a pulpy prose tale inspired by Joe Jusko‘s art, Roy Thomas delivers an introduction, and Jeffrey Shanks writers on the history of Solomon Kane. The Savage Sword of Conan #1 feels like it celebrates Howard’s creations and uses the lack of a need for continuity to have fun with it all. It’s a throwback release in some ways, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun due to that.

The art is as solid as you’d expect with black and white images that’ll suck you in on the detail. The prose stand out with their presentation and pinups a great addition showing off the styles of different creators for these classic properties.

The Savage Sword of Conan #1 is a great addition to the comic shelf. It not only stands out from the Conan the Barbarian series but is an easy way to dive into these worlds. It opens up the opportunity for Titan to not only give other creators a shot at writing Conan, Kane, and more, but also try out other characters from Howard’s worlds and see what might work in their own comics. It’s an anthology collection, a throwback to old comic magazines, that has been generally missing from the comic store shelf and is a welcome return.

Story: John Arcudi, Roy Thomas, Jim Zub, Patch Zircher, Jeffrey Shanks
Art: Max von Fafner, Joe Jusko, Patch Zircher, Roberto De La Torre, Rebeca Puebla, Gerardo Zaffino, Howard Chaykin
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle