‘Conan the Barbarian Volume 5: Twisting Loyalties’ – Zub, Brine, Braithwaite, Canola, Rodriguez (Titan Comics, Heroic Signatures)

 

I’ll be honest, I have no idea how ‘Cimmerian September’ works… Is it REH stories only or does any tale, featuring Conan, count regardless of author? And am I putting far too much thought into something that is only meant to be a bit of fun? The answer to the second question is, more than likely, yes ;o)

As ever on this blog, I will tackle things in my own way. I’ll find time for some original REH ‘Conan’ tales, later this month, but for now, lets kick things off with the latest ‘Conan the Barbarian’ trade from Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures. Jim Zub has done a superb job of adapting REH’s work while filling in the gaps with original pieces; lets see how he fares in ‘Twisting Loyalties’.

Conan the Cimmerian and Bêlit, Pirate Queen of the Black Coast, are in their prime, enjoying a life of decadence and debauchery, but a flagrant flash of wealth brings unwelcome attention from thieves with a taste for danger and agents from Stygia on a dark mission for their serpent god!

In the days following Bêlit’s tragic demise, Conan traveled 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?

Before I get started, I should own up to a little bit of a ‘cheats post’ here… ‘Twisting Loyalties’ collects ‘Conan the Barbarian #17-20’ and I’ve already read and posted about #18-19, here and here. There may not be much more to say, after what I’ve said already, but I can never leave a tale half-read, especially if it’s ‘Conan’ as told by Jim Zub; he really gets it and continues to do so here, in the streets of Kyros and the jungle that holds Belit’s funeral pyre…

I love how a lot of work has clearly gone into finding the right artist for each of the tales here. Danica Brine’s art has really grown on me since reading #18; she really captures, and maintains, the Mediterranean feel of Kyros, drawing a veil of festivity over nefarious backstreets. And then we have Doug Braithwaite for #19-20 and his jungle backdrop really give you a feel for just how old Conan’s world is, it’s really beguiling stuff and if I had a little more time in the day, I could sit there and just drink it in.

And there is a lot to take from each of the stories in this trade; a quick look at Belit and Conan’s relationship (really emphasizing that this was a meeting of equals) along with an exploration of Conan’s grief in the aftermath of Belit’s death, all tied together by a Stygian blade that surely must feature in future storylines. We’ll see…

That’s for the future though. What we have here is an engaging and entertaining slice of sword & sorcery followed by a more contemplative, yet just as entertaining , piece that really taps into Conan’s struggle with the idea of sorcery and how he is constantly tied into its machinations. And if all that wasn’t enough, you’ve got snake-men and shape-changers as well. You cannot ask for any more than that from a ‘Conan’ comic.

Jim Zub’s, and Titan Comics’, stewardship of the ‘Conan’ line continues to go from strength to strength and ‘Twisting Loyalties’ is another eventful stop along the way. I’m on board for the duration now but, you knew that already ;o)