More ‘Tides of the Tyrant King’ and a ‘Savage Sword, Reforged’…
I actually picked these comics up last week with a view to reading them over the weekend but… You know what this blog is like… I make a vague promise about how I’ll definitely pick a book soon and at the same time I’m making it, I’m adding at least a week to the ‘wait time’, I’m nothing if not consistent ;o)
Anyway… I’ve been making a weekly trip to Forbidden Planet to pick up a comic or two; just to give myself a little routine/something to look forward to while I’m out of work. This time round I came home with a couple of ‘Conan’ comics; ‘Tides of the Tyrant King’ was a no-brainer and while I don’t normally pick up ‘The Savage Sword of Conan – Reforged’, ‘Tides’ looked a little lonely by itself so I thought, why not?
All of which leads me to this post, just a quick one today for a couple of short(ish) reads. Let me tell you all about them…
‘Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #2’ – Zub, Merino (Titan Comics, Heroic Signatures)
CONAN OF CIMMERIA believed that THULSA DOOM’s evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more. If it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!
I’ve got a little bet on with myself as to whether I can read ‘Skull-Face’ before this adaptation concludes.Could go either way to be honest, lets see ;o)
Anyway… #2 continues to set the scene with the main players now firmly aimed at each other and set on their course. And while the plot is still settling in, there is a lot going on here that’s worth the read. The reintroduction of Thulsa Doom does a lot to not only flesh out his character (no pun intended) but also to bridge that gap between Atlantean pre-history and ‘modern’ times. And while that’s happening, I really enjoyed how Conan and Costigan are set against each other with their lives playing out in parallel as they get closer to a confrontation. The same events, but thousands of years apart, and even the same travelling companion. And yep, I think I’ve figured out what’s going on with Zuleika. Maybe… Lets see.
With Hydallan lurking in the background, things are shaping up to be pretty exciting and I’d say that Conan has got his work cut out if he’s going to face this threat down. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. From where I'm sat, Jim Zub can do no wrong at this point.
‘The Savage Sword of Conan – Reforged #7’ – Thomas, Buscema, Alcala (Titan Comics, Heroic Signatures)
If I’d realised that the main tale, here, was ‘The Slithering Shadow’… I’ll be honest, I’d have probably given this issue a miss. I didn’t though, picked the comic up and… I’m really glad that I did.
I’ve got nothing against ‘The Slithering Shadow’ by the way, it’s just that I reviewed the REH tale, back in 2024, and don’t really have much to add to what I said about it back then. Lets just just say that Roy Thomas gives us a very faithful adaptation here and there’s always something a little special about reading old ‘Savage Sword’ Conan tales in general. I loved the ‘original’ artwork on display here, it really captures that sense of a world that’s human enough to be familiar yet strangely alien at the same time.
It was the other entries, in this issue, that really caught my eye though with pieces on ‘The Hyborian Age’ and the Elder Gods that were worshipped at the time. As someone who has always struggled with REH’s ‘Hyborian Age’ essay, the comic book format really helped me get into things more. The Elder Gods piece is a straightforward essay but gives you the option of ‘picking a god’ to read about rather than having to go through the whole thing. Just what this slightly distracted reader needed ;o)
And to round things off, some Richard Corben ‘Conan’ art was a nice surprise and a great way to finish off. Like I said, I’m glad I picked this issue up :o)
Anyway… I’ve been making a weekly trip to Forbidden Planet to pick up a comic or two; just to give myself a little routine/something to look forward to while I’m out of work. This time round I came home with a couple of ‘Conan’ comics; ‘Tides of the Tyrant King’ was a no-brainer and while I don’t normally pick up ‘The Savage Sword of Conan – Reforged’, ‘Tides’ looked a little lonely by itself so I thought, why not?
All of which leads me to this post, just a quick one today for a couple of short(ish) reads. Let me tell you all about them…
‘Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #2’ – Zub, Merino (Titan Comics, Heroic Signatures)
CONAN OF CIMMERIA believed that THULSA DOOM’s evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more. If it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!
I’ve got a little bet on with myself as to whether I can read ‘Skull-Face’ before this adaptation concludes.Could go either way to be honest, lets see ;o)
Anyway… #2 continues to set the scene with the main players now firmly aimed at each other and set on their course. And while the plot is still settling in, there is a lot going on here that’s worth the read. The reintroduction of Thulsa Doom does a lot to not only flesh out his character (no pun intended) but also to bridge that gap between Atlantean pre-history and ‘modern’ times. And while that’s happening, I really enjoyed how Conan and Costigan are set against each other with their lives playing out in parallel as they get closer to a confrontation. The same events, but thousands of years apart, and even the same travelling companion. And yep, I think I’ve figured out what’s going on with Zuleika. Maybe… Lets see.
With Hydallan lurking in the background, things are shaping up to be pretty exciting and I’d say that Conan has got his work cut out if he’s going to face this threat down. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. From where I'm sat, Jim Zub can do no wrong at this point.
‘The Savage Sword of Conan – Reforged #7’ – Thomas, Buscema, Alcala (Titan Comics, Heroic Signatures)
If I’d realised that the main tale, here, was ‘The Slithering Shadow’… I’ll be honest, I’d have probably given this issue a miss. I didn’t though, picked the comic up and… I’m really glad that I did.
I’ve got nothing against ‘The Slithering Shadow’ by the way, it’s just that I reviewed the REH tale, back in 2024, and don’t really have much to add to what I said about it back then. Lets just just say that Roy Thomas gives us a very faithful adaptation here and there’s always something a little special about reading old ‘Savage Sword’ Conan tales in general. I loved the ‘original’ artwork on display here, it really captures that sense of a world that’s human enough to be familiar yet strangely alien at the same time.
It was the other entries, in this issue, that really caught my eye though with pieces on ‘The Hyborian Age’ and the Elder Gods that were worshipped at the time. As someone who has always struggled with REH’s ‘Hyborian Age’ essay, the comic book format really helped me get into things more. The Elder Gods piece is a straightforward essay but gives you the option of ‘picking a god’ to read about rather than having to go through the whole thing. Just what this slightly distracted reader needed ;o)
And to round things off, some Richard Corben ‘Conan’ art was a nice surprise and a great way to finish off. Like I said, I’m glad I picked this issue up :o)
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