Conan: Battle of the Black Stone concludes with intense combat, unexpected turns, and a killer final page reveal! What did critics think of our big finish? Let’s find out (but watch out for SPOILERS if you haven’t read the issue yet) –

• 9 Panel Grid: “I had a lot of fun with this series. This was really quick, really exciting, really action-packed, and I think the star of this has been Jonas Scharf and the colorist…It kicked the doors wide open for Conan to explore the cosmic horror side of his universe.”

• Comic Book Dispatch: 9.8/10 “Jão Canola’s otherworldly fire burns yellow and green, threatening to consume John Kirowan, Soloman Kane, and Brissa like Human torches. The fire tinges the forest orange and fills the background with darkness…When the Black Stone’s power proves too powerful for stalwart warriors to combat, a scholar’s thirst for knowledge and a writer’s imagination prove pivotal in defeating a mind-consuming power.”

• Comic Culture: “I loved it. It was handled so well…So many characters in the group had their moments, which I thought was really good…Well worth it if you’re not already checking it out.”

• Comical Opinions: 10/10 “It’s one thing to start a mini-series on a decent note and finish strong, but it’s another to start strong and end on a phenomenal note….Jim Zub imagines a battle for the ages that requires our heroes to fight, sacrifice, and die to save the world, and Jonas Scharf’s artwork is pulp magnificence.”

• Cool Thunder: 9.8/10 “The conclusion to the Battle of Black Stone is nothing short of spectacular, delivering a thrilling, action-packed narrative that seamlessly weaves together the interconnected stories of its characters.”

• Doc Lail Talks Comics: “If you’ve liked Jim Zub’s run on the main Conan title you’re going to love this four issue mini-series. It’s going to scratch all of the itch for all the different characters in The Howardverse.”

• Evan the Architect: “This was awesome. I really enjoyed this whole mini-series, so I highly recommend it…The way this ends is kind of perfect in tying up this story but also launching into something that’s even more dangerous and more scary for the future.”

• Good Reads: 5/5 “There is nothing but pure payoff here from page one. If you find yourself disappointed by other series having poor or unsatisfying conclusions, look no further than Conan mainline or Black Stone.”

• IPauleyxx: “…a love letter to fans of the Barbarian, offering something for newcomers and seasoned readers alike. Its perfect blend of legacy, innovation, and thrilling surprises makes it a must-read for anyone who relishes high-adventure comics.”

• League of the Comic Geeks: “Howard’s heroes bounce off of eachother surprisingly well and Scharf gives the book some incredible action.”

• Mighty Thorngren: “I had such a blast with this book. It was so cool. I have throughly enjoyed this series and I hope that we see the further adventures of all the characters in these books…This kicked as, all four of them together were wonderful and this was a great finale.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “This book sets up another big Howard verse thing to come and I am all here for it. I think Jim Zub’s been doing a fantastic job with Conan books.”

• Quest Wise: “It is brilliantly told. It is wonderfully written. I truly believe that if Robert Howard were alive today, he would be proud of Battle of the Black Stone…The writing in this is amazing. The artwork is beautiful. It just flows very well. There are ups and downs and ‘Oh My God’ moments, all in four issues.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Fantastic stuff!…The awesome action and cosmic horror aside, the success of Jim Zub and Jonas Scharf’s event series has been the creative integration of Howard’s pantheon of characters into an exciting experiment of enrichment.”

• Super Hero Hype: “The Battle of the Black Stone comic was an event undreamed of…However, the comic still managed one last surprise for readers in the final chapter with the reveal of the series’ ultimate villain.”

• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “This is a great issue. I really, really enjoyed it…I think that the series was very good and definitely better than the last time Jim did a Howard-verse crossover.”

• Thinking Critical: “This was a lot of fun. Action-packed, character building…If you’re not reading Conan and everything from Titan Comics, hop on the train, you will not be disappointed. These are truly great legacy characters.”

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #3 arrived in stores this week. What did critics think of our penultimate issue? Let’s find out-

• 9 Panel Grid: “It’s really cool. I really like what Jim Zub is doing here…It’s a worthwhile trip to be taking and a really fun book.”

• Comic Culture: “I love the pacing in this series. We have a lot of characters, we have very high stakes, and things just keep getting more stressful because the ranks get smaller and smaller…It’s everything you can want and more!”

• Comical Opinions: 8.8/10 “A super solid issue that starts at a leisurely pace, but picks up steam for a hammer-blow of an ending…Jonas Scharf brings the heat in an issue filled with lush jungle landscapes, striking figure work, fantastic use of dramatic shadows to present an air of dread in broad daylight, and gritty action.”

• Cool Thunder: 9.4/10 “The art by Jonas Scharf is nothing short of mesmerizing. Scharf’s detailed, atmospheric visuals perfectly capture the dark, tense atmosphere of the story, with each panel drawing you deeper into the narrative. His depiction of the black stone beast, lurking in the shadows and picking off Conan’s companions, is particularly haunting, making the stakes feel more visceral.”

• DC Patrol: “This comic is phenomenal. I really love the colors and the art style…This is is probably the best one yet.”

• Good Reads: 5/5 “Epic, jam-packed with action and swirling with weird mystery…Battle of the Black Stone is really building up steam. The fire is stoked and ready to burst in a fireball of kaleidoscopic miasma.”

• Mighty Thorngren: “This is such a good story – well written, beautifully illustrated, tons of action but still giving us moments of character build up and emotional drama and pathos. It’s wonderful!”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “I was really surprised at how quick everything was moving in issue two and even more surprised how quick everything is moving in issue three! I’m just going to tell you this – ‘No One Is Safe’…Really cool stuff.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Jim Zub, Jonas Scharf, and Jao Canola continue to reward readers with something distinct from the monthly series, marked by its own unique style and panel flow. It’s not a Conan comic, it’s a Howard comic and that’s a great thing for fans and the author’s legacy.”

• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “This issue is great…I think the writing is great, and Jonas Scharf’s artwork is awesome and Jao Canola does a really great job here.”

• Thinking Critical: “I highly recommend this one. It’s a fun read.”

• 9 Panel Grid: “Overall this was a completely masterful issue, I loved seeing something familiar from Conan, albeit something completely new because of what Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite are doing.”

• Comical Opinions: 9.5/10 “Conan the Barbarian #15 presents mature, spiritual concepts wrapped in a ferocious Conan tale. Jim Zub is digging deep to dispel Conan’s reputation as a sword-slashing meathead by sending him on a personal journey that reflects struggles everyone can relate to.”

• DC Patrol: “This book is just perfection…just a beautiful book. I don’t even think you need to like Conan to enjoy this.”

• Doc Lail Talks Comics: “If you have not been reading this book, find it. I don’t care if you read it digitally, I don’t care if you pick it up in person. Conan is on a path of fire with Jim Zub that he has not been on since the 70’s or possibly the early 80’s…This is one of the best books on the shelves right now.”

• GoodReads: 10/10 “The art and writing have captured the mystical, salacious and errant spirit of the original works, while driving the fervor, fury and passion to its heights. Just as Howard would have done himself, if he were in the comic medium.”

• Grammaticus Books: “[Zub] adds something to it without taking anything away from the original Robert E. Howard story…Great artwork by Doug Braithwaite combined with great coloring by Diego Rodriguez that makes for some excellent pages.”

• Grimdark Magazine: “Bolstered by the strong foundation of ‘The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,’ Conan the Barbarian #15 is the strongest issue in the Frozen Faith arc thus far.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 5/5 “I never thought I would be reading a poetic version of Conan the Barbarian. Yet here I am and there’s a very good chance that this will be one of the best books I read all week, maybe month, possibly all year.”

• Lord Samper’s Library: “Now I love Howard’s opening, for ‘The Frost Giant’s Daughter’, but I’ve also got a lot of time for the way that Zub wraps a little background around this. I like background, especially when it’s done as well as this.”

• Mighty Thorngren: “When I want a comic book, I want to be thoroughly pleased with the amount of action and story, and these Conan comic books deliver that like nothing else. Page after page of cool looking stuff. Doug Braithwaite has just beautiful artwork.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “This book is awesome…The Conan books, this is the best they’ve been since back in the 70’s and 80’s, in my opinion. This is some really great stuff!”

• Scifi Pulse: 9.7/10 “Overall, another fantastic issue with a great mix of strong artwork and fantastic dialogue.”

• Sleepy Reader: “Jim Zub just knocks it out of the park. All the stuff he’s been setting up from the point of view from the goddess now really pays off…and I have grown very affectionate for Doug Braithwaite’s very brutal art style.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Zub has seamlessly woven these layers of his grander story into this adaptation, the end result of his twist convincing readers that an exploration of these themes was always articulated in Howard’s original material. It’s a remarkable achievement and Doug Braithwaite’s work is exceptional…I can’t recommend this issue enough.”

• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “I think that this is quite a phenomenal adaptation of the Frost-Giant’s Daughter…and I like the expansion that was done to turn this into an arc and connect the Battle of Venarium and leaving Cimmeria to this story.”

• Thinking Critical: “It’s still absolutely awesome…This continues to be the series of the year.”

• Wakizashi’s Teahouse: “It’s glorious! The art is great by Braithwaite. An exciting tale. Really good writing by Jim Zub, quite poetic at times. Big recommend.”

The newest issue of Savage Sword of Conan kicks off our Battle of the Black Stone storyline with six short prelude stories. Let’s see what critics thought of it…

• Comic Culture: “We have that classic black & white magazine-sized action. It’s gruesome, it’s gory, it’s absolutely beautiful and it definitely keeps your attention…Savage Sword of Conan continues to be one of my favorite books out each month.”

• Comical Opinions: 9.8/10 “Why can’t every anthology be this good?…It’s a pulp adventure-lover’s dream!”

• DC Patrol: “A whole bunch of stories, wonderful characters. It’s inventive and fun…This book has everything.”

• Decptisean: “This issue is chockablock with Robert E. Howard goodness. I recommend this…It has different art styles, but still very good.”

• Fanboy Planet: “despite the large cast, you don’t have to buy a plethora of titles. You can catch up on the first year arc, but it’s not really necessary. Zub remembers that every Conan comic is somebody’s first…It’s a small enough event to stay focused, but, in comics terms, earth-shattering enough to eagerly await what’s coming next.”

• Goodreads: 8/10 “Super excited for the ultimate meeting of all these outstanding Howard characters…Lots of great authors and artists here. Really love the El Borak and Solomon Kane stories.”

• Mandy’s a Geek: 10/10 “This comic, everybody should be buying. It’s the best value comic around. Each issue’s been fantastic…Just wonderful.”

• Mark on Comics: 5/5 “This is a great introduction to Battle of the Black Stone…I highly recommend it. If you’re a Conan fan, pick this book up!”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “I really like this book! I think Savage Sword is just brilliant, I love it….This is one of the best books on the shelf!”

• Scoop: “All of the stories are enticing, and the Marz-Perkins collaboration on El Borak is worth the price of admission by itself…If Battle Of The Black Stone lives up to this, it’ll be a great ride.”

• Stygian Dogs: “I think fans are going to be pleased and naysayers surprised. I was curious going into this. I was always going to check out the Black Stone event but this book defied my expectations. The trippy moments of the surreal, the evil of the stone permeating all pages and stories, it generates more questions and more mystery even as the plot details are elaborated upon.”

• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “Overall, a great start to the Battle of the Black Stone event. I really, really liked it and thought it was great…This is nearly perfect in my opinion.”

• Thinking Critical: “Without a doubt, the best value in comics…I highly encourage everyone to check this one out. What Jim Zub is building here is going to be epic.”

• Todd Luck: “This is even more like a barbarian box of chocolates because you have six different stories by six different creative teams…an artistic showcase showing all these artists doing Robert E. Howard characters.”

Conan the Barbarian #14, part 2 of Frozen Faith, is now out. What did critics think of it? Let’s see…

• 9 Panel Grid: “I love how Conan keeps growing and developing into this fantastic comic book that I didn’t think I would still be along for the ride on after 14 issues.”

• Amazon.com: 5/5 “These stories are wonderful and the art is excellent. Titan comics hits homerun after homerun. True to the spirit Howard created.”

• Comic Book.com: 8/10 “It feels intense and gritty, like every fan of the character expects…this snowbound adventure is really hitting the mark.”

• Comic Culture: “Really, really strong issue. Love this one. One of my favorite Conan issues of this entire run right here.”

• Comical Opinions: 9/10 “Jim Zub gives readers a masterful object lesson in how to build a story that stretches over multiple issues without filling pages with decompressed fluff…plus Doug Braithwaite’s deceptively detailed art is outstanding.”

• DC Patrol: “Read this book. Highly recommend. One of my absolute favorites.”

• Goodreads: 10/10 “we get to see Howard’s world renewed and opened up, rather than retold and retread. [Zub] uses exactly the right elements from the source material and brings us through parts between the famous tales, seamlessly sewing new tales before or after the old ones as if Robert E. Howard had never left us”

• Grimdark Magazine: “Conan has won allies and embroiled himself in the conflict with the Vanir, and it seems like his beguiling watcher will reveal herself soon. I look forward to see how Zub weaves his story with the classic Howard tale that serves as its inspiration.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “It is genuinely insane how good this book is. This is one of the best issues of it yet…This is THE ongoing indie to be keeping up with.”

• Mighty Thorngren: “This artwork is just phenomenal. I love it so much…This continues to be my favorite comic every month it comes out and has been since the first Free Comic Book Day issue.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “For 14 issues, I’m still digging it…I’ve never been engaged with a Conan book for as long as I have here. Jim Zub and company are doing an absolutely fantastic job.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Diego Rodriguez has fun throughout, playing blues against red, bringing Doug Braithwaite’s blood-spackled battle-fueled fury to vivid life and in Braithwaite’s panels we get a solid six pages of brutal appendage-severing action in a row. It’s wild, it’s Conan.”

• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “I thought that this was a great issue…It encompasses everything that Conan is in a way that is digestible, which is the mark of a good story.”

• Thinking Critical: “The very best comic book of the week, bar none…This is arguably the best illustrated issue that Doug Braithwaite has done so far. It is so immaculately beautiful and bloody well done.”

What did critics think of Conan the Barbarian #13, the kickoff to our fourth story arc?
Read on and find out…

• Amazon: 10/10 “I’m fairly certain Robert E. Howard himself wouldn’t miss an issue of this series, and I imagine him reading them out loud and forcefully turning to the next page. Amazing art as well.”

• Comic Book Dispatch: 9.4/10 “Doug Braithwaite’s distance shots show Conan trekking with snowy wastes. Close-ups reveal calf-high boots plunging into snow, hands pressing into a tree, and exhalations becoming vapor as they depart Conan’s lips.”

• Comic Culture: “This has been one of the best, most consistent runs of comics I have read in a very long time. We are on issue #13 and I cannot wait for each and every issue to come out…The themes are instantly resonating with me, which is probably why I love the book.”

• Comical Opinions: 9/10 “It’s written great and it looks great…In a comic industry where even the best selling titles are hit or miss, this series has yet to produce a bad issue.”

• DC Patrol: “I’ve just got to give some praise to Titan Comics. They’re putting out a beautiful book. Everyone involved, every issue, it’s always great. There is nothing not to love.”

• Deceptisean 77: “This is a great series, in keeping with Conan the Barbarian…the art continues to be great for this series.”

• Grimdark Magazine: ” This issue delivers a change of pace for existing readers and serves as a gentle jumping-on point for newcomers curious about Titan Comics’ most successful series to date.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 9/10 “I’d be critical of an issue like this in any other book, but Zub makes it work. This might be the most reliably solid ongoing series on my radar right now.”

• Mighty Thorngren: “This continues to be my favorite comic that I am reading in general…It’s so damn good!”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “Jim Zub has been killing it on this book…This is the first time I’ve ever truly enjoyed a Conan book for more than 12 issues.”

• SciFi Pulse: 9.7/10 “It’s a story very much about the will to survive and how frightening life and death-situations can push a person beyond their limits. Overall, this is a great start and I can’t wait to see where the story goes.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Zub and team have successfully created a sense of renewal here…This absolutely heralds the start of another great year of Conan comics.”

• Sword & Sorcery Book Club: “It was phenomenal and I really loved this…Issue 13 was a wonderful comic book.”

• Thinking Critical: “I love this issue. Narratively-speaking, I think this is one of my favorites…It’s a great look into the past and an introspective look into Conan.”

• Todd Luck: “It’s a good, solid entertaining issue and it reminds me of some of the high points we’ve gotten in some of the Conan the Barbarian comics in the past 20 years…It’s been remarkably consistent and my opinion isn’t really changing.”

• Comic Culture: “This was a great, great story…I’m super energized, I cannot wait to read more.”

• Comical Opinions: 10/10 “a pristine, pitch-perfect end to another fantastic Conan adventure for Jim Zub and Titan Comics. Zub is channeling Robert E. Howard, with a clear reverence to the source material, and Robert De La Torre’s art is astounding.”

• DC Patrol: “This is amazing, I love absolutely every single thing about this. I will be buying the trade.”

• Deceptisean77: “I love the art, I love the action, and all the sword & sorcery sensibilities…It is an incredible book.”

• Goodreads: “This is a moment they have been building toward this entire time, and finally culminates in a powerful conclusion. Jam-packed with vicious action and unrelenting fury, the recent episode of Conan’s journey is powerfully-written, beautifully organized, and unfolds like magic on the page.”

• Grimdark Magazine: “With issue #12, Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian ends its first year on a high note…the artwork remains fantastic and the stories engaging.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “What a dream team working in perfect harmony. I want to tear the book apart and frame every page to put on my walls. Fantastic finish to the arc.”

• Mighty Thorngren: 10/10 “What a dream team working in perfect harmony. I want to tear the book apart and frame every page to put on my walls. Fantastic finish to the arc.”

• 9 Panel Grid: “Conan is the sleeper pick every single month…I could seriously read Conan for the rest of my life by Jim Zub and be completely happy. It’s just an amazing book.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “This has not let me down one single month. This is the best!…This felt like a very good conclusion to the story. I didn’t feel like I’d been let down or strung along.”

• Professor Frenzy: “I think this was a great mesh between writer and artist with Zub and De La Torre. It has gorgeous artwork…All in all, I was very satisfied and pleased with this issue. It delivered a lot more than I expected…I thought this was a masterpiece.”

• Sci-Fi Pulse: “We get some fantastic artwork from the team of artist Roberto De la Torre and colorist Diego Rodriguez…An excellent conclusion to what has been a brilliant story arc.”

• Stygian Dogs: “What a year and what an issue!…The final product is thoroughly satisfying. All of it a thrill, ending with a palate-cleansing promise of future adventure.”

• Thinking Critical: “The best new comic book we got this week…This thing ended on the highest of high notes. This is may be the best issue of Conan the Barbarian thus far…Conan has never been better. It represents the very best of the industry right now.”

• Todd Luck: “I’m completely satisfied with this final battle. It’s incredibly bad ass…A perfectly solid, entertaining Conan comic that is worth picking up.”

• Weird Science Comics: “The best book of the week. The art’s great and if you’re not reading it, you should just start from the beginning.”

• Comic Book University: “Absolutely fantastic…You have got to read this comic book…If you’re only getting one comic per month, this one is an easy contender.”

• Comic Culture: “It’s a very primal book…One of the best, most consistent books out there right now.”

• Comical Opinions: 9.5/10 “…a grim, gritty, epic entry in the series. Jim Zub packs in a plethora of twists and turns to tie the past and present together in a surprising way, and Robert De La Torre’s art is gorgeous.”

• Goodreads: “I cannot delight more in this issue, nor its past and upcoming chapters. I hope I can speak for at least a fraction of the community when I say the work is recognized, the effort appreciated, and the scope of magic and wonder felt on every page.”

• Grimdark Magazine: “Rob De La Torre’s artwork is a visual feast, as always. His John Buscema-inspired character artwork and dynamically staged combat scenes receive a great deal of justified praise, but his backgrounds are also worthy of attention. His oppressive monolithic architecture and craggy, menace-filled subterranean passages create a real sense of place for the events of the story.”

• Hobbies of a Man: “Overall, this issue was great. I really had a fun time with it and I think it’s amazing…The fact that I can’t buy most of these double page spreads by Rob De La Torre as posters is a crime.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “Gotta be my favourite book on the shelves! I love everything about this run!!! Story, art & colour all on the same page! Just so flipping fun!”

• Mandy’s a Geek: 9/10 “This is how Conan should be…This is one of the most consistently good comics on the stands. There’s never been a dip in quality, in fact the quality has gone up all the time and it’s a joy to read.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “The story is really cool. Conan is back in time, he’s met Kull, they go to Atlantis, there’s a big twist at the end here…This book is beautiful, I frickin’ love it!”

• Sci-Fi Pulse: 9.6/10 “Roberto De la Torre and Diego Rodriguez continue to do great work with the artwork for this book…a great issue with a shock twist that will keep fans on the edge of their seats ready for the next one.”

• Sleepy Reader 666: “Jim Zub is doing a great job just making each issue fun and filling it with all the kinds of stuff that makes sword & sorcery fun.”

• Stygian Dogs: “The success of this book is all in the team and the team remains so in the pocket. If this is what Heroic Signatures continues to offer us in its curation of Robert E. Howard’s characters in comic book form, I remain all in.”

• Thinking Critical: “Book of the week…The finale of this comic book and the huge reveal on the last page had my jaw on the floor, it was absolutely phenomenal. Roberto De La Torre was made to illustrate this comic book character in this series.”

• Todd Luck: “The artwork by Robert De La Torre continues to be very, very solid, very good stuff…This has been a very solid series so far.”

The CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE prelude issue arrived on Free Comic Book Day (and is now available for FREE online right HERE), kicking off an event mini-series that will run this Fall. What did critics think of this teaser issue?

• Bottalk: 9/10 “If you’re a fan of Jack London’s The Star Rover you’ll love this comic and it’s free! Go get it! Download it! It is spectacular.”

• Comics For Sinners: “Titan Comics obviously wants to produce a consistently good comic book featuring great talents, and they make sure that this attitude carries over even to a freebie.”

• Eternal Crusader: “It will be exciting to see how this Howardverse develops and how much it will be the focus of future Conan publications…The artwork is bold, flashy, and colorful.”

• Gary B the Casual Comic Guy: “Just a fantastic start, certainly intriguing, and seeing all these characters being drawn in makes me anticipate the coming story.”

• Grimdark Magazine: “The Jonas Scharf artwork in this issue appeals…Foreshadowing an exciting event, this issue is engaging for existing fans while simultaneously providing a gentle introduction to newcomers to Conan the Barbarian.”

• Hobbies of a Man: “I really enjoyed how everything looked. I thought it was all cool…overall, very cool stuff, and I thought the WTF at the end there was really, really great.”

• Is This Just Fantasy?: “It’s interesting how they’re going to unite them all in this same story. I’m looking forward to it and it should be interesting. I’m here for it.”

• League of Comic Geeks: “Thoroughly enjoyed this, serves its purpose of both an introduction and kick off spot for new and existing readers alike. Exactly what a FCBD issue should be.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Jonas Scharf’s art looks great. It’s something distinct from what Rob De La Torre and Doug Braithwaite have been giving us and Jao Canola’s seem bolder that we’ve seen in the ongoing monthly series.”

• Tennessee Fats: “This was a wonderful tie together and a wonderful drop in the bucket to tell me what’s coming in the Howardverse.”

• Todd Luck: “I think this is a really good comic to pick up if you are a Conan fan.”

• Amazon: “This is horror-themed, raw, provocative, and painful–in a good way…Not to be too morbid, but this takes Conan to a place we haven’t seen him in a while and it’s done well.”

• Comic Book Dispatch: 9.2/10 “Richard Pace’s primitive art is as rough and brutal as the Hyborian Age. Furious slashes and angry lines show Conan’s battles with animals and monstrous warriors.”

• Comic Culture: “Clearly the best book of the week…Every single page is beautiful. I just love it. What a blessing this book has been.”

• Comical Opinions: 8.8/10 “Jim Zub and Patch Zircher are at the top of their game, building upon Robert E. Howard’s legacy…Savage Sword of Conan #2 is a dream for Robert E. Howard fans with two stories showcasing Howard’s greatest characters by creators who love them.”

• Eternal Crusader: 9/10 “Jim Zub has consistently delivered authentic tales featuring the Cimmerian and ‘Leaving the Garden’ is no exception, blending originality with homage to Robert E. Howard’s character…Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics have spared no effort in elevating the series to new heights.”

• Grimdark Magazine: “Dark and sketchy, Pace’s artwork has an almost expressionistic feel that suits the grim mood of the narrative. The thick blacks and contorted facial expressions are especially effective in the early panels as Conan struggles his way to the surface.”

• Hobbies of a Man: 9/10 “I think they did a great job improving on the concept from last time. I think they did a great job in printing.”

• Is This Just Fantasy?: “The Richard Pace art is really intense. It feels just very kinetic. I can feel the speed of the linework. I think there’s an energy to it that works great…It pulls at your heartstrings and has some great action.”

• Michael K. Vaughan: “It’s just really, really good and it’s also terrifying because it tells a horror story, and a really good one.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “What a great issue of Conan…A classic nice, bold and savage Conan tale…A lot of bang for your buck.”

• Stygian Dogs: “This feels like the best Conan story in years. In Zub’s story of dark horror, vengeance and a stubborn Cimmerian’s instincts for survival, artist Richard Pace pursues an almost primitive approach in the way he depicts these primal moments and, as the story addresses the innocence of childhood, Pace’s technique remains effective.”

• Todd Luck: “Jim Zub does something with a character that I haven’t really seen before or, at least, not done in this way and I think that makes this a unique and memorable story, especially the scene with the wolves…I think Conan is in very good hands.”

• Wakizashi’s Teahouse: 9/10 “You can tell the people making this comic are enjoying themselves. That’s good to see. It comes across on the pages.”