Conan: Battle Of The Black Stone - Titan Comics #1

CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE No. 1, October 2024

There shouldn’t be much doubt to anyone reading this “epic new Conan event from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics” that Jim Zub is quite masterfully manipulating many of Robert E. Howard’s mightiest creations towards some devilish end game like an in-form chess master. In fact, the way the Canadian author manages to quite quickly imbed the likes of Solomon Kane, El Borak, Dark Agnes de Chastillon, and even invalid writer James Allison into this twenty-two page, shadow-laden supernatural storyline is truly impressive; “She closed her eyes and saw a sign. A mark upon her soul. How can she trust her wits or will in the face of such uncontrollable fury.?”

Somewhat frustratingly though, such devotion to giving this book’s considerable cast quite so much spotlight also means that the periodical’s pacing is debatably a bit disconcertingly choppy in places – such as when a certain “Tudor-period Puritan adventurer” is drawn to the sigil within the space of a handful of panels, or a dumbfounded Dark Agnes apparently slaughters someone in the wilds, east of Grenoble, without any memory of why she has done so. These short-lived sequences may well generate a sense of intrigue or mystery within some bibliophiles. But in all likelihood the majority of readers would probably have preferred to have more closely followed the Cimmerian’s exploits in the savage lands of the Picts, or Professor John Kirowan’s superbly atmospheric visit to a salubrious speakeasy in 1936 Chicago.

Furthermore, the handling of Francis Xavier Gordon, and apparent horrific demise of Allison at the publication’s conclusion, may well perturb many a fan of Howard’s original literary works. El Borak’s portrayal as a dishonest heavy-drinker, who shakes at the mere mention of the aforementioned occult sign etched in black stone doesn’t ring particularly true with the “Texan gunfighter from El Paso who had travelled the world and settled in Afghanistan” penned by the late, great father of Sword and Sorcery. Admittedly, the American adventurer is now a much older, presumably less-audacious man, who relies upon his past exploits to fund his ‘retirement’. Yet, it would surely have been more in character for him to stern-facedly warn his guests as to the deadly nature of their enquiry, rather than cowardly deny having ever “seen that thing before.”

Quite possibly this comic’s biggest hook therefore lies in the layouts of “Jaunty Jonas Scharf”, whose raw energy genuinely adds to the sheer physical presence of Conan whenever the barbarian makes an appearance. Furthermore, the smell of cigarette smoke, alcohol and ancient artefacts is truly palpable from the pencils depicting Gordon’s covert club, and helps make the predominantly sedentary setting both believable and thoroughly enthralling.

The regular cover art of "CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE" #1 by Gerado Zaffino