CONAN THE BARBARIAN #19 / Script by JIM ZUB / Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE / Colors by DIEGO RODRIGUEZ / Letters by RICHARD STARKINGS & COMICRAFT’S TYLER SMITH/ Published by TITAN COMICS

For three years, Conan of Cimmeria sailed with Belit, the infamous Pirate Queen of the Black Coast, as her second and consort. That joyous time ended abruptly, with Conan the sole survivor of the fiendish attack that claimed Belit and the rest of her crew. That tale is well known to scholars of the Hyborian Age, though little has been said of what happened to Conan immediately after he burned the ship and body of his first love.

Now, the tale can be told! It is a tale of survival and struggle in the jungles of the South. It is also a tale of a strange hunter, who makes Conan into his prey. Whether it is beast or something more he cannot say. All he knows is that, eventually, there will be a battle…

Conan the Barbarian #19 is a rare thing indeed. It is a good jumping on issue, for those who still have not leapt into this series with appropriate enthusiasm. Yet it is also a perfect continuation of its own story and the classic Queen of the Black Coast.

I have written before of Jim Zub’s skill and scholarship. He is clearly a fan of Conan, who uses the original Robert E. Howard tales as a springboard for his own stories. However, he also takes care to make every chapter accessible to new readers, should someone stumble across this series with this issue. It is a small thing, but one that makes the Hyborian Age come alive, just as much as his prose. Zub wisely does not try to copy the distinctive patter of Howard, but he is true to the spirit of the Bard of Cross Plains, telling a tale that is true to Conan while still distinctly his own style.

The artwork is equally beautiful on all fronts. Doug Braithwaite is rightly regarded as one of the best artists to handle Conan in the modern age. His art is dark and detail-driven, without feeling cluttered or obscured by the line work and inks. The colors by Diego Rodriguez are rich and varied, with strong lettering by Tyler Smith and Richard Starkings adding the perfect finishes.

This is a great book and a worthy continuation of the Conan legacy. I think I’ve said this a few times since Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures took over the license. Doubtless I’ll say it again in some variation, because this is one of my favorite books. Why not find out why this is so?

Conan the Barbarian #19 arrives in comic shops on March 19, 2025.