The Savage Sword of Conan (2024-) #3

Savage Sword of Conan 2024 - #3

by Frank Tieri, Alan Quah (artist), Cary Nord (artist)

THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN CONTINUES ITS TRIUMPHANT RETURN FROM HEROIC SIGNATURES AND TITAN COMICS!

Featuring a chilling Conan tale from writer Frank Tieri and artist Cary Nord, the exciting conclusion of writer/artist Patch Zircher’s Solomon Kane epic, a silent Conan story from writer/artist Alan Quah, a tantalizing sneak peek at John C. Hocking’s novel City of the Dead, jaw-dropping covers from Alex Horley and Cary Nord, incredible art pin-ups and more!

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comic Book

66 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2024

Reviews

[Jim Kuenzli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Issue 3 is everything you want and exactly what you need. The first thing you see is an ultra savage pinup print of Kull. I think I stared straight at it for at least 3 minutes. Awesome. Conan becomes a werewolf! Hocking gave a nice bio. An excerpt from Hocking’s new Conan Novel (another 5 star read) is presented. Kane’s serial concludes with a visceral bang. Zub presents his poetic skills. Lastly we have a “silent” Conan story. Because sometimes, thats all you need. Fantastic!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my rock n roll fantasy.

A poem by Zub? Cary Nord returning to draw some Conan? A little taste of Hocking's new book? Werewolves??????

Oh my, this is great indeed. I particularly have to say I really have been loving the Solomon Kane story. This time I found it to be the highlight of the comic. I would love to see even more interviews and bonus behind the scene goodies tossed into this jam-packed issue, but it's all good. The wordless story was also a fun little treat. I'd rate this a 4.5, but I always round up for my heroes. This stuff rocks my world. I'm looking forward to the new novel and Battle for Black Stone event. In any case, another new novel just came out and I am going to be shouting its praises for some time. Go read the City of the Dead by John C. Hocking. You won't regret it.

Great work everyone!

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The return of Cary Nord! That got me pretty excited, he was the first Conan artist I got into - even before getting into the original stars like BWS and Buscema.

Lots of shorter tales in this one, which is nice.

Wolves of the Tundra
Frank Tieri and Cary Nord

As the cover indicates this feature story has werewolves in it! What's even crazier is Conan himself becomes a werewolf. It's a pretty simple story of Conan tracking down the people responsible and finding a cure. The pacing and artwork is reminiscent of manga in a few ways. I could go with a whole series of this kind of thing. The few pages we got here were not enough! Nord is very stylized, there's some awkward panels but it mostly works quite well.

Solomon Kane Master of the Hunt (part 3)
Patrick Zircher

I liked the world building at the start of the tale, it eventually becomes a Solomon vs monster story. Similar to how a lot of Hellboy stories are set up.

Lure of the Pit Creature
Alan Quah

A short silent story similar to Frost Giants where Conan gets lured and fights a big centipede monster. Really cool artwork.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid issue of Savage Sword that features a short and snappy Werewolf story, followed by an excerpt from John C Hocking latest book, City of the Dead, and ending with the final arc in the Solomon Kane story and a silent Conan comic.

The variety is what brings this up to a 3 star. The main Conan comic, Wolves of the Tundra, is good but nothing special, and the art style didn’t quite hit home for me.

The John C Hocking section was great, giving a break in the issue and the biography section written by Hocking allowed for an insight of his contributions to the world of Conan pastiche.

The ending of the Solomon Kane story was just about okay. I feel this being spread over 3 issues and with about 8 pages per issue, it just diluted the story massively. The art style for these have been fantastic though and cannot fault it!

Finally, the silent Conan comic is something I haven’t experienced before, and allows the art alone to tell the story without the need for dialogue or monologues.

Not the best I’ve read so far, but certainly not the worst. The preview for issue 4 suggests a focus on the Black Stone series, which is effectively a multiverse. So I look forward to see which other REH characters appear!

[Clint · Rating 5 out of 5]

The excellence continues. Cary Nord art. Two Conan tales, the conclusion to a three part Solomon Kane story, an excerpt from John C. Hocking’s Conan City of the Dead and a short autobiography of Hocking and how he came to write said book.

[Gary Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cursed

There are three short stories in this mag. The first one, Conan is in a winter wilderness and comes across some werewolves, you can guess what happens. The second one is the conclusion of the Solomon Kane story. The third and final story is just a picture story, but says so much without words.

All three of these are well done, the art is well drawn, in fact, once finished reading them, went back just to view the artwork.

As with the previous issues the only drawback some may find, is that certain panels you have to enlarge to read ( this is a review for the kindle version).

[Andrew Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Augst 2024

Review:
You're either following along with the series or you're not. Tieri's werewolf tale is what we all needed, brought to life by Nord. Quah's wordless adventure is also what I've been missing. Zub's short ode is a nice shot of Cimmerian whiskey with the citrus bitters of Torre's artwork to make it pop. Zircher ends his tale with an interesting run of mythology and Howardesque characterization in the conflict of God, man, and shadows.
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Reference:
Kull Pin-Up by Alex Horley

"Conan: Wolves of the Tundra", by Frank Tieri, art by Cary Nord.
"Mayhap a lesser 'warrior of some note' would not see through such a ruse. But I am Conan."
I've never felt as sorry for a rabbit or a horse, or cows, as I do here. From The Hungry Claw inn to the Forked Tongue inn, a "warrior of some note" entraps trappers no matter what state of mind he is in. A werewolf Conan hunting down werewolves is definitely something I've been missing in my life.

"Conan: City of the Dead", excerpt by John C. Hocking, with a biography.

"Master of the Hunt", by Patrick Zircher. Art by Patrick Zircher.
"But can I believe in God and in the profane? Is my life to be a conflict between the two?"
Opening with a quick description of the Tylwyth Teg and the shadowed ones living in paradise (Annwyn, the Otherworld), half-blood Lord Arawn, Master of the Hunt, rules this unfair land where shadowed ones are slaves to the immortal Tylwyth Teg. But Gwar wants the same privileges, but in his bloodshed, he must find a hiding place from retribution: our world. Leaving a trail of massacre, Gwar is more abomination than persecuted, showing that maybe the Teg were right for making thralls of the shadowed ones, and Solomon faces off with his morbid appetite, seeking profane help that conflicts his beliefs. The End.

"Call Thee To Crom", poem by Jim Zub, art by Rob De La Torre.
"Survive or be thee slain. Now fill this cup of battle, and spill thy soul of pain."

"Conan: Lure of the Pot Creature", written by Alan Quah, art by Alan Quah.
Maybe coming off a heist, or maybe following a jewels prompts, Conan falls victim to the siren call of beauty, a game of cat-and-mouse, that even a king's ransom couldn't buy its way out of. The land is deadly, and the journey carries on.

#1, March 2024
#2, May 2024
#3, August 2024
#4, September 2024
#5, November 2024
#6, January 2025
#7, March 2025
#8, April 2025
#9, July 2025

[Greg (adds 2 TBR list daily) Hersom · Rating 5 out of 5]

CROM!! Titan Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan are better than the original Marvel black-and-white magazine while still paying tribute to that legendary comic that added so much to Robert E. Howard's legacy and Sword-and-Sorcery. It's a treasure trove of both nostalgic and new tales.

Despite what the few gatekeepers and paranoid misogynists may say, Titan Comics/Books and Heroic Signatures are the producing very best Robert E. Howard pastiche ever, next only to Howard himself. The creators and the publishers share a passion for what is Howardverse that shows in their work.

[Joshua K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savage Sword continues to be one of the best packages in comics. I loved the lead story here, its just so fun. The conclusion to the Solomon Lane story is good, I’m interested to see more of that character’s corner of the world.

[NOLA Bert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the print version of the comic. The main story in the comic is “Conan: Wolves of the Tundra” by Frank Tieri, writer, Cary Nord, art, and letters by Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Tyler Smith. I really liked Cary Nord’s art for this story. It’s good to see him back on Conan. Like the previous issue, the main story of the comic is fairly grimdark, which doesn’t entirely fit with my view of Conan, but is distinctive in tone from the Conan the Barbarian comic. I don’t think I’m giving anything away by mentioning it’s a werewolf story given that awesome cover by Alex Horley. There is an excerpt from John C. Hocking’s omnibus book Conan: City of the Dead. The excerpt is specifically from Hocking’s second Conan pastiche, Conan and the Living Plague and it’s a rousing scene in the catacombs under the city of Dulcine. There is also a biography of Hocking that imparts his incredible enthusiasm of Robert E. Howard and Conan. Zircher’s magnificently illustrated Solomon Kane story follows next. I liked the somber ending, although I’m not quite sold on Kane being so reflective of the situation he found himself in. The last story in the comic is a wordless story written and illustrated by Alan Quah, “Conan: Lure of the Pit Creature.” It was my favorite story of the issue, reminiscent of “The Frost Giant’s Daughter.” A simple but excellent story with some innovative panels to depict fast action. There’s also an awesome pin-up illustration of Kull by Alex Horley as well as an incredible illustration of Conan by Roberto De La Torre with a poem by Jim Zub.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 rounded down.

The poem didn’t really bring much to the table and I’m sort of lost on the Solomon Kane story but the main Conan tale, the wordless shortie, and the novel preview were fantastic. I have been looking for a contemporary recurring comic to follow and with this series I think I may have finally found it. The artwork is dynamic and rest, I am absolutely loving the B&W and the stories are strong, heavily influenced by the good stuff from the past but still bringing something new. My only critique of the main story here is that the setting felt a dash too modern. Otherwise, great stuff!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already the third SSoC and so far this New magazine has not dissapointed and delivered excellent Conan in glorious Black and White. This main tale about a course of a werewolf is well told and visually well delivered. Ending with an good joke. The Solomon Kane story is well drawn and delivers a satisfying end. Then the Zub poem and 2nd Conan story with breathtaking drawings.
This time the Conan stories are more visual than talking, and is very well done. I am a fan of this format.
Great presentation everything a Conan fan should ever want. Except more of course.

[Riccardo Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great artwork and the resolution to the Kane story was good, Zub’s Cimmerian poem I liked as well. The main story is a little lite on details and felt more like an outline than a full story, maybe it could’ve been fleshed out over a few issues? Overall though keeping the spirit alive!

[John Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan meets werewolves is the first story. It is ok. Cary Nord's Conan has many strange expressions on his face.

I do not like the art work on the second Conan story.

The conclusion of the Solomon Kane story was not what I expected.

Overall, medium.

[Iván Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buena historia, gran ilustrador además Cary Nord y un acompañamiento con el cierre de la historia de Solomon Kane. Un comic redondo para cuando buscas un rato de inmersión en otra parte, como por ejemplo, la era Hyboria.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conan the werewolf!

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have found the new Savage Sword underwhelming so far, the best stories so far, both writing and art-wise, has been the Solomon Kane serial.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Savage Sword of Conan (2024-) #3

I continue to be pleased with the overall quality of Titan Comics' taken on the classic Conan the Barbarian spin-off title, The Savage Sword of Conan. The first two issues were strong, and though the main feature story here isn't quite as good as the stories in the first two, the backup "Solomon Kane" story from Patch Zircher continues to be excellent overall.

The main story in issue #3 is "Wolves on the Tundra" written by Frank Tieri and drawn by Conan comics alumnus Cary Nord. I was excited for this one since I loved Nord's work on Kurt Busiek's iconic Conan run, but was a bit disappointed with the interiors of this issue. The story takes on the werewolf mythos framed from a Robert E. Howard lens and the results are mixed to say the least. Nord's artwork shines when action sequences are present, of which there are sufficient in this short story, but feels lackluster when crafting the backgrounds and surrounding environment.

The wordless short story, "Lure of the Pit Creature", by Alan Quah was the stronger piece for me and a solid way to conclude this issue.