Savage Sword of Conan (2024) Review – Conan and the Dragon Horde (#1)
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The idea of these short reviews is to give you a quick overview of what this issue is about (or remind you if you’ve forgotten!).
I try to give as much information as possible without spoiling any plots or twists, though of course there are likely to be some mini-spoilers… so read on dog-brother!
Savage Sword of Conan (2024) #1 REVIEW – Conan and the Dragon Horde
Writer: John Arcudi
Artist: Max von Fafner
Letterers: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Bettencourt
Published: Titan Comics, February 2024
INTRO
The Savage Sword of Conan has a LOT to live up to. Insanely popular in it’s heyday and well-loved still fifty years later.
Some of the greatest comic writers and artists have graced its pages, and it’s personal favourite of mine, too.
So, does the new version live up to the hype, and is it worth your time and money? The short answer is… yes. The longer answer is below (without spoilers!).
Talking of intros, the legendary Roy Thomas kicks us off with a welcome letter here. As usual, it’s an interesting and varied read, and it amazes me how much he can remember from his younger years.
Cover
Savage Sword of Conan covers have a lot of history and some iconic artwork.
They were often linked with some of the very best artists in the world, and you’ll be happy to know we’re back with Joe Jusko — at least for the standard variant.
It’s a great cover, a classic–painted and with a damsel holding onto Conan’s leg for safety. And, as often happened, has very little to do with the actual story 😅.
Art
Unfortunately, we do have printing problems here. There’s a beautiful map at the start of the Hyborian Age, but it’s barely readable — so dark you can hardly make anything out.
Apparently this is fixed in later issues, which is good to know, but it’s still not well done.
I’ve ordered a copy of the map (available on the official Conan website) and look forward to hanging it on the wall.
The art in the story itself is actually pretty nice. Max von Fafner does a good job, and I like it overall.
One of the big issues, though, is the dinosaurs in this story. There’s been a lot of talk online about whether dinosaurs belong in Conan stories.
I don’t see why not — there was a dinosaur in Red Nails, and in at least one other Savage Sword I can think of.
No problem for me there. However, one of the dinosaurs here — especially in a double-page spread — just looks photoshopped in. It’s really quite jarring.
A pretty poor double-page feature, to be honest, and the next page doesn’t improve things either.
Story
We’ve got a classic setup. Conan gets tricked — perhaps a bit too easily, but that did happen occasionally in the original stories.
Kull gets tricked even more easily than Conan, so this one might even fit Kull better in tone. But overall, it’s a solid story.
Character Spotlight
We meet Ineah, a pretty cool character and not your typical damsel in distress. It’s quite a sexy story with her — this is Savage Sword, after all, and we can expect a bit more flesh and sex.
There’s T&A in there, and all in all, a solid addition. The magazine was always more adult since it didn’t have to follow the Comics Code, and we see that tone again here.
Howard Accuracy / Faithfulness
As mentioned, the dinosaur inclusion is fine by me — Howard used them. Conan is pretty much Conan, too.
As mentioned, he gets tricked a little too easily maybe, but he’s still as tough as ever and ready to fight for a woman or the possibility of treasure. His barbarian code of honour is also intact.
Extras
This is where it gets really good.
- The Road of Kings, a poem by Robert E. Howard. A great poem. If you haven’t read it before – enjoy!
- Sacrifice in the Sand, a short story from Jim Zub. He’s not usually a prose writer, but he does a good job. I enjoyed this one.
With more practice, he could become very good at it. A couple of paragraphs toward the end felt off, but I won’t spoil those — see for yourself. - Master of the Hunt, the highlight of the issue in my opinion. A Solomon Kane story by Patrick Zircher, who also does the art. Lettering is by Starkings and Bettencourt again. This is a horror story set in Wales — which I really appreciated.
I grew up near the Welsh border, lived in Wales for four years, and just spent a couple of days there again, including at Raglan Castle where I did some archery. Loved seeing Wales get the limelight.
The story is probably either a two- or three-parter. It ends with “to be continued” and I can’t wait for more. This is my favourite story in the whole book, both in art and writing.
Solomon Kane is how he usually is — maybe a slightly smoother version, but very enjoyable. - Cover gallery at the back — sadly printed so darkly I can barely see them. That’s poor.
- A nice essay from Jeffrey Shanks called Men Shall Die for This, about Solomon Kane. Shanks is an incredibly knowledgeable Robert E. Howard scholar, and that really shines through. If you’re into Kane, read this.
Where to Buy
You can read Savage Sword of Conan (2024) #1 via printed form at your local comic shop (if still available), or on kindle from Amazon. There is also a Conan trade paperback of the first three issues, which is probably now the easiest way to get it.
Final Thoughts & Rating
This is a great start. I’m giving the main story a solid 7 out of 10. The Pat Zircher Solomon Kane story gets an 8. With the rest of the extras, including the Roy Thomas introduction, I’m giving this issue an overall 8 out of 10. This is how Savage Sword of Conan should carry on.
8/10.
