Conan the Barbarian #32
“A Sacred Task”
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
Cover Artist: Nick Percival
I am an absolute sucker for a “done in one” story.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a good story arc as much as the next person. But to pick up an issue and know that between those covers is a beginning, a middle, and an end… that’s just special.
Road to Recovery
Weeks have passed since Conan the Cimmerian’s fierce battle with the Son of the Tooth. Once the adrenaline wore off, the barbarian collapsed from blood loss and almost died. Thankfully, a woman named Emida took him in, and he had his run of the town thanks to his heroics. But the road began to call him once more…
Then the road came to his door. Hired by a mysterious and exotic woman named Roya, Conan is to protect her on a journey across the desert to her village. She has promised him a grand reward when they arrive.
Through packs of hyenas, the angry dead, and the elements themselves, Conan must guide Roya to their destination and his promised reward…
Road to Ruin
This was a fantastic issue. Writer Jim Zub stated on social media that this issue was meant to evoke the original short stories found in Weird Tales, and that’s exactly what it does.
Even though it’s a stand-alone story, I appreciate how it still picks up in the immediate aftermath of last issue’s epic battle. Despite all his many gifts, Conan is still but a man. And a man would need considerable time to recover from all the wounds and blood loss he sustained—if recovery were possible at all.
You can tell from the moment Roya appears that there is something about her. Is she on the up-and-up? Is she a sorceress out to lure Conan into a trap? The possibilities seem endless. And yet, I never guessed what the truth was.
This issue gave the most famous Cimmerian many opportunities to show his prowess. His fighting skills against the hyenas. His survival instincts against the elements themselves. His indomitable will against the fields of the dead. You could hand this issue to someone who’s never read a Conan story, and by the end, they would know volumes about his character.
The truth of Roya and her mission was a classic Howard-style twist, which I do not want to spoil here. Let’s just say that, knowing what comes for him later in life, Conan’s reward was leagues greater than any mere treasure. Now the Cimmerian once again hears the call of the road, both his belly and his purse hungry—where will his travels take him next?
Protector or Pawn
Channeling Robert E. Howard to bring us this tale is our regular creative team of Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite, whose names must be in the conversation for some of the best to handle the character.
Zub is the master of the Howardian tale—his narration and dialogue are sparse and to the point, never using more or fancier words than necessary, much like Conan himself. This story is expertly paced, never straying in one place for too long. If I had any complaints, it’s that I wish it were longer. It felt like the journey had just begun, and suddenly it came to an end. A few more pages could have included hints as to the truth of Roya’s mission, and maybe spent a bit more time with her at the end.
The artwork by Braithwaite is always as sharp and true as Conan’s blade, and this issue is no exception. The panels of the Cimmerian literally on his deathbed, are effective in showing just how much punishment he withstood. Roya has a presence that is immediately noticeable when she appears, standing out from the dirty and dingy town around her. Conan’s various struggles on the journey—the hyenas, the desert itself, the restless dead—are all given care and detail, making it immediately clear the obstacles he must overcome. And the final splash page is poster-worthy.
The colors by Diego Rodriguez tie it all together. The time of Conan’s recovery is painted in drab colors, as befits the small and uncivilized town he rests in. Once on the road, you can feel the heat of the beating sun on his back and the sand beneath his feet. No shortage of blood is spilled within these pages, and the colors make you feel every drop of it. And when things get a bit ghostly towards the end, Rodriguez is more than up to that task as well.
Weird Tales Reborn
Conan the Barbarian #32 is a terrific stand-alone issue that manages to tell a compelling story while giving readers unfamiliar with the Cimmerian everything they need to know. Now that Conan is back on the road, will more unrelated adventures find him, or is he back in the crosshairs of the Vengeful Eye? Only time will tell…