Publisher: Titan Comics
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Color Artist: Diego Rodriguez
Publisher: 19th March 2025

Described by its British-based publisher as “Jim Zub’s fresh take” on Roy Thomas’ co-creation Zula, it is probably fair to say that much of this twenty-two page periodical’s storytelling actually relies upon the layouts of Doug Braithwaite rather than the pen of its Canadian author. Indeed, it isn’t until Conan stumbles upon an isolated village “far to the South” that the Cimmerian actually holds a conversation with anyone, and even this stilted dialogue is cut dramatically short by a faceful of spear-points; “No pay. No gift. You have death in you. Leave now.”

Rather enjoyably however, the London-born illustrator is more than up to the task of carrying the weight of this particular comic upon his shoulders, and pencils its central character with all the deep-set weariness a fan of Robert E. Howard’s adventurer would expect in a story set straight after the death of Bêlit, the Queen of the Black Coast. Furthermore, the artist’s handling of the barbarian’s battle with a hungry crocodile, should genuinely make many a reader hear the frantic water splashes during the fight, as well as cause a fair few to actually hold their breath as the fast-drowning hero desperately stretches for his sword hilt at the bottom of a river bed.

Similarly as well-sketched is this book’s conclusion, in which its revealed that Conan is being tracked by a large black panther. The duo’s subsequent scrap atop a rocky outcrop does a cracking job of showing just how close to instant death the Cimmerian comes, whenever the claws of the creature he’s wrestling with are aimed at his head. As with the aforementioned semi-aquatic reptile, Braithwaite’s panels really do capture all the savage fury occurring between the two combatants, and towards the sense-shattering sequence’s end, it is quite possible for the odd bibliophile to feel the heaving animal’s hot breath upon their face as it triumphantly sits atop their momentarily bested foe.

Perhaps therefore, the only slight disappointment to be found within this publication comes at its very conclusion, which sees a badly beaten barbarian batter the great cat standing over him with a conveniently-placed hand-sized rock. This victory from the quite literal jaws of defeat is rather unconvincing, and far from resulting in the large feline’s demise, shockingly shows the bloody, badly wounded Panther magically transform into a seemingly uninjured ‘Guardian of the Grasslands’.

The writer of this piece was: Simon Moore
Simon Tweets from @Blaxkleric ‏
You can read more of his reviews at The Brown Bag