CONAN THE BARBARIAN #33 / Script by JIM ZUB / Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO / Colors by DIEGO RODRIGUEZ / Letters by RICHARD STARKINGS & COMICRAFT’S TYLER SMITH / Published by TITAN COMICS

Once, Conan of Cimmeria and Valeria of the Red Brotherhood faced a cursed city full of dark magics and decadent people. Together, they slew a dragon and brought down the last remnants of an evil empire. The bards of Aquilonia know this tale well, yet little has been said of what happened to the barbarian who would be king and the nubile pirate afterward.

To Conan’s regret, despite some hint of passion in the aftermath of their last adventure, Valeria had no interest in being his woman. Too, the man once feared as Amra of the Black Coast seems to have fallen in his fortunes beyond that. No longer second in command of a ship, he serves as a simple seaman – albeit one respected for his skill in battle – aboard the ship of one Captain Quinn.

The one comfort, apart from plentiful combat and plunder, is that Valeria is there too. And she proves equally disinterested in the rest of the men on board the Briney Wren. Unfortunately, while they both had their fill of magic after their inland adventure, an evil from Conan’s past is about to return in force.

When I first saw the solicitation and covers for Conan the Barbarian #33, I was enraptured. I’ve always had a weakness for pirate stories, for as H.L. Mencken said “Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” And I was particularly pleased to see Conan dressed in a pirate’s garb instead of his usual fur posing pouch.

(Admittedly, I am biased as a cosplayer whose ‘Conan the Librarian’ design involves a pirate shirt, flared boots and a button that reads “SILENCE, BY CROM!” in bloody letters. But I digress…)

This is a point that has, alas, been lost in many of the artistic portrayals of Cimmeria’s favorite son of the years. No one can fault Frank Frazetta for depicting the musculature of human forms in peak condition. Unfortunately, since Frazetta’s most famous Conan paintings showed him when he was stripped of his armor and escaping certain doom, the image of the unclad barbarian came to dominate depictions of sword-and-sorcery heroes for reasons beyond imitation being a former of flattery.

It will surprise no one, given the care Jim Zub has put into drawing off of classic Conan continuity for his stories to date, that the first chapter of “Cursed Shores Beyond” reads like a lost Robert E. Howard manuscript. Indeed, the Bard of Cross Plains’ fingerprints are all over this issue even before one of his poems about piracy is included. It is also gratifying, given Valeria being turned into yet another Conan love-interest in other adaptations, that she retains the fire and independence that made her a fan favorite in “Red Nails” here.

The artwork maintains its usual high standard. Fernando Dagnino and Diego Rodriguez work in concert like two virtuoso musicians, reinforcing one another’s contributions. The final effect is masterful, with rain that should seem to soak the page panels and contrasting shades of red and white to counter the dominant blues and blacks of the seas and shadows.

This is a ripping yard of piracy and sorcery, which highlights an often overlooked aspect of Conan’s background and the true character of Valeria of the Red Brotherhood. The artwork holds to the same standard of detail and drive. If you think of Conan as little more than a big, dumb barbarian, prepare to be educated!