Conan The Barbarian: Scourge Of The Serpent #4 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT No.4, February 2026

It probably didn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone purchasing this twenty-two-page periodical that contributor Jeffrey Shanks saw the need to actually explain this mini-series’ climax as part of his final back-page article “In The Coils Of Set – The Origin And Legacy Of The Great Serpent”. For whilst Jim Zub’s narrative certainly depicts the Hyborian Age deity telling the likes of Conan, King Kull and John Kirowan what it wants from them, it’s rather trivial needs could easily get lost amongst all the inter-dimensional, planetwide fighting which revolves around it.

Indeed, Set’s apparent desire to mate with this title’s three leading antagonists so as to create “a perfect hybrid race” is debatably far from convincingly delivered, especially when “the arch-enemy of the gods of light” appears before the trio as multiple snake-headed assassins, a huge gorgon and the murderous wife of the Professor’s latest client. These forms, and resultant attempts upon the heroes’ lives don’t seem to be the best way of wooing a lover into the Great Serpent’s arms – no matter how alluring its final, semi-naked astral form may appear.

Furthermore, “Titan Comics” attempt to try to hoodwink this comic’s audience into accepting that such an overriding purpose is “very much drawn from themes in Robert E. Howard’s original tales” will surely put the backs up of any of the 1930’s pulp writer’s purists - no matter how hard Shanks’ aforementioned lengthy essay tries to convince them otherwise. Perhaps therefore this book’s most intriguing element only comes at its very end when it becomes clear that, in the Canadian author’s canon at least, Set sees itself as the planet’s saviour from various “terrors undreamed of”, and apparently wants to rescue Mankind, rather than simply dominant it like so many other one-dimensional, evil tyrants.

Unfortunately, Ivan Gil’s layouts don’t seem to help show what is truly happening throughout this publication either. It doesn’t matter how proficient a penciller the illustrator is at depicting Conan, Kull and Kirowan as somewhat decrepit, older versions of themselves, nor how much ghostly green ink colour artist Jao Canola throws at the multiple supernatural sequences. It is never made clear whether the leading characters can ever actually see (and therefore work) together, nor why they become so drastically aged in the first place..?

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT" #4 by Roberto De La Torre

Conan The Barbarian: Scourge Of The Serpent #3 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT No.3, December 2025

Having debatably done little more than adapt a trio of Robert E. Howard’s previously published prose adventures in this mini-series’ first two instalments, it can be argued that Jim Zub finally starts to take the steering wheel with his narrative for Issue Three of “Conan: Scourge Of The Serpent”. In fact, the Canadian author appears to go to quite considerable lengths to drag out the Cimmerian’s encounter with the serpentine deity from “The God In The Bowl”, inflating a single line of words which tells of the hero instantly decapitating the gorgon into a lengthy, action sequence filled full of desperate lunges and slithering feints - And all so that the barbarian’s fight for life can simultaneously reach its zenith alongside that of King Kull and John Kirowan.

Surprisingly however, the same cannot be said of the Animex Honorary Award-winner’s handling of “The Haunter Of The Ring”, in which the exploits of John Conrad’s partner are arguably quite severely truncated from those deeds found in the novella’s original text. Admittedly, this abbreviation still follows the general flow of the tome by having the Professor face his greatest antagonist Yosef Vrolok. But rather then drive to the villain’s home, the writer snatches at the chance to add his own spectral spin to the confrontation by having Kirowan instead simply trade blows with a murderous manifestation of his rival at Jim Gordon's house.

Such a blatant divergence from Howard’s work might be a bit too much for those purists reading this comic. However, the move actually imbues the narrative with some much-needed pace and ghostly ambiance. Indeed, it allows the significantly more modern tale to tie-in quite nicely with both Conan and Kull’s own battles against green-hued serpent-like foes; especially when it becomes clear that the snake-eyed medusa haunting poor Evelyn’s every thought is associated with the Cimmerian’s most notorious nemesis Thoth-Amon.

Undoubtedly helping mesh all these different threads and time-streams together are “Ironclad Ivan Gil” and colour artist “Jumping Jao Canola”. Together the creative pair appear particularly inventive when it comes to extending the barbarian’s aforementioned tussle with a fair-faced serpent in the Nemedian municipality of Numalia. Yet the duo’s work is also first-rate when it comes to convincingly telling of Vrolok’s mystical materialisation from beyond the grave in Boston 1934.

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT" #3 by Gerardo Zaffino

Conan The Barbarian: Scourge Of The Serpent #2 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT No.2, November 2025

It’s probably a fairly safe bet that many a buyer of this comic book will wholeheartedly agree with its London-based publisher that the publication itself contains “three stunning supernatural stories”. But that’s because the majority of their narratives were actually written by Robert E. Howard way back in the early third of last century rather than today's “Grim Jim Zub”, and – at least as far as both the Conan and King Kull fables are concerned – been adapted for this medium on several previous occasions before.

Indeed, the only thing debatably differentiating these incarnations of “The God In The Bowl” and “The Shadow Kingdom”, is that the Canadian author rather frustratingly insists on repeatedly swapping between the yarns, rather than simply allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the well-written worlds of “the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre.” This inter-weaving of the distinct plot-threads might seem a novel way of retelling the already popular (and arguably well known) tales. However, for some bibliophiles it will surely just diminish their fast-paced flow and ultimately greatly ruin their enjoyment of this twenty-two-page periodical.

Furthermore, the inclusion of the then modern-day tale involving Professor John Kirowan may well completely discombobulate anyone not well-versed in one of Howard’s arguably lesser known creations, due to “The Haunter Of The Ring” being neither set in the Hyborian Age or being heavily reliant upon scintillating swordplay. In fact, every time Zub brings his audience forward to 1934 it is like a jolt to the system, and will most likely snap anyone out of the sinister, spine-tingling terrors confronting both the Cimmerian and Atlantean; “Those… words! Ancient, primordial… A tongue beyond time!”

Delightfully though, what does capture the imagination are Ivan Gil’s layouts, which do a very good job of making some of the storyline’s sudden ‘switches’ a bit more palatable – especially towards the comic’s end when the words “Ka Nama Kaa Lajerama” ripple throughout the three adventures almost simultaneously. In addition, the illustrator’s double-splash of “when ancient men fought grisly beings of the Elder Universe” is easily worth this comic’s cover price alone, and should take anyone who enjoys good artwork a long time to properly absorb the breath-taking menagerie of different mythical beasts he has somehow crowbarred in the drawing.

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT" #2 by E.M.Gist

Conan The Barbarian: Scourge Of The Serpent #1 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT No.1, October 2025

Despite being proudly proclaimed by “Titan Comics” as the start of a “new Conan epic”, those readers well acquainted with the prose works of Robert E. Howard will doubtless find everything which occurs within this twenty-two page periodical disconcertingly familiar – especially those scenes depicting a young Cimmerian getting caught stealing from the museum of hapless Kallian Publico. Frustratingly, this is primarily due to almost all of “Stealing Faces And Finery” simply being an adaption of three of the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre’s short stories, rather than anything new which the Jim Zub has penned himself.

Indeed, apart from the odd piece of tinkering, such as the Nemedian curator actually being seen desperately trying to open up the gift which will soon bring about his grisly death, there’s arguably little to be found within this publication that isn’t inside the opening stages of “The Shadow Kingdom”, “The God In The Bowl” and “The Haunter Of The Ring”. Of course such reworkings are perfectly legitimate for the officially licenced British Publisher to undertake. Yet such re-treads, especially of a tale as well-known as Conan’s brush with the magistrate Demetrio in Numalia, arguably smacks of this mini-series relying far too much on Howard’s old yarns, as opposed to the Canadian author enthralling his audience with something altogether new.

Furthermore, Conan isn’t debatably even the lead protagonist of this book, with that role surely falling to Kull the Conqueror seeing as it’s the Atlantean’s adventure whose footsteps are the first to be followed. In fact, Issue One of “Scourge Of The Serpent” is quite neatly book-ended by the King of Valusia, as the monarch is joined by the Pict Brule the Spear-Slayer as they uncover a plot to assassinate the incredulous sovereign by shape-shifting serpent people.; “You have shown great skill and bravery. But it is only the beginning.”

Sadly even the pencilling of “Ironclad” Ivan Gil may well leave some bibliophiles wanting a bit more help to make sense of some of the storytelling, as the Canadian author leaps between the three different plot threads with little apparent reverence as to whether his audience has had time to take in what has just transpired. Of particular note are the opening panels depicting James Gordon’s extreme physical reaction to Michael O’Donnel showing him an ancient blade - a scene which will doubtless require a couple of rereads to make any sense, and even then it's only later on in the comic that his extraordinary outburst appears semi-convincing.

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT" #1 by Roberto De La Torre