Review — ‘Conan The Barbarian’ #6 Asks “Do You Fear The Gods?”
by Anton Kromoff
Summary
In Titan’s rendition of Conan The Barbarian, the saga unfolds with a brilliant narrative of the stoic Cimmerian navigating and triumphing over the forces of darkness and horrors from the strange beyond. Yet, amidst these epic struggles, Jim Zub skillfully emphasizes that the one constant our hero cannot elude is the haunting specter of his own past.
Overall
10/10Welcome to the table,
Do you fear the gods?
It’s a question that seems central to the second arc of Titan Comic’s Conan The Barbarian. Issue #5 saw us catching up with the Cimmerian as confronts ghosts of the past and spectators in the present on a quest to assist ambitious thieves on their quest for cursed treasure.
In Conan The Barbarian #6, we continue on this journey catching glimpses of the past where Conan comes face to face with forces from beyond the grave that wish to help. In his present predicament, forces from beyond the grave that intend him harm.
The saga unfolds with a brilliant narrative of the stoic Cimmerian navigating and triumphing over the forces of darkness and horrors from the strange beyond. Yet, amidst these epic struggles, writer Jim Zub skillfully emphasizes that the one constant our hero cannot elude is the haunting specter of his own past.
The book continues to be a masterclass in melancholy. As someone who has loved the character and the world he inhabits since I was a small child, I have not felt as “at home” in this setting in a long time. There is a sullen sadness that R.E. Howard injected into these Sword & Sorcery stories that felt very much like the quiet lonesome moments in the old cowboy movies that would run on TV well past my bedtime.
The sadness that Conan carries with him is such an integral part of the character. In the same way, it seems like every action movie hero has to walk across broken glass or get shot up and push through to show how tough they are. The emotional weight that Conan carries with him feels to be an even deeper wound that does not heal. It’s a trauma he shoulders seeking escape in death or destruction and only his ability to survive despite himself is why he lives to see the next dawn.
Until next time, This book continues to be a standout hit for me and I, now more than ever, am grateful it is in the comic space. It would seem Conan feels nothing, wants for nothing, and fears nothing… including the gods.
