‘Conan the Barbarian #19’ – Zub, Braithwaite, Rodriguez, Starkings, Smith (Titan Comics, Heroic Sigantures)


Short posts this week I’m afraid… I’ve done my round of being ‘on call’ but it’s the Easter Holidays for my girls so I’ve been off doing stuff with them, and very nice it has been too :o) I’ll be honest, there has been a lot of browsing in bookshops… and then buying books while we were there. I can’t think of a better way to spend a week off work :o) But anyway…

We were in Forbidden Planet, the other day, and that’s where I saw this copy of ‘Conan the Barbarian #19’ and picked it up. I’m collecting the trades but am always partial to a single issue when I see them. I knew what this week was going to be like so took the opportunity to grab a quick read. And…

In the days following Bêlit’s tragic demise, Conan travels through jungles of the southern kingdoms but there’s no time for grief – a deadly hunter stalks the Cimmerian, bent on bloody vengeance. Who is this strange foe and what do they know about the ancient power rising in Stygia?

There’s something in the jungle to be faced down and a mystery to be solved and… You’re going to have watch Conan trek through a lot of jungle before we get any of that. Yep, on the face of it, #19 is all about lining pieces up for #20 but I think that’s a little bit unfair to say that actually. Zub and Braithwaite are giving us a lot more than you’d initially think. We’re watching Conan face his grief in the same way that he would face an enemy on the battlefield, head on. Conan fights his enemies with whatever comes to hand and this time round, it’s all about honouring Belit by surviving whatever comes next. Zub and Braithwaite combine superbly to deliver this, we’re left in no doubt as to the enormity of what Conan faces, physically and mentally, and what it takes for him to win through.

And all of that comes before Conan solves the mystery of what is stalking him through the jungle.

My knowledge of ‘Conan Lore’ is limited, more or less, to whatever I’m reading (at the time) so while the revelation looked very cool, it was a little lost on me. That is not the fault of #19, that’s on me. I think it’s safe to say though that it bodes well for the next issue and maybe even beyond that.

Zub and Braithwaite continue to make ‘Conan the Barbarian’ their own and have a very clear destination in mind. I can forgive them then for an issue that makes a point of travelling at its own pace, especially when they’re giving us such a striking picture of our hero in the days since Belit’s passing. I don’t think I’ll wait for the trade this time round, I’ll have to remember to keep my eye open for #20 when it comes out.

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