“Nearly 50 years after he first brought the Cimmerian to the pages of Marvel Comics, the incredible ROY THOMAS returns to script the SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN! Teamed with the legendary ALAN DAVIS, get ready for an unforgettable chapter in the saga of Conan, as the barbarian leads a mysterious band of adventurers into the Himelian Mountains in search of a lost comrade. But Conan may get more than he bargained for as the startling truth behind the quest is uncovered! Set before Robert E. Howard’s “People of the Black Circle,” don’t miss the start of this ALL-NEW adventure fleshing out an important period in Conan’s history!”

By WALLY MONK – PM Library Editor

If you think I worship at the proverbial altar of Roy Thomas when it comes to Conan comic books, you’re right.

I do.

But it’s not undeserved. Not only was Thomas the man who worked to bring Conan to Marvel, but he also took his time with character research, developing all the nuances of the Cimmerian and making sure the Hyborian Age was portrayed by the most capable artistic staff the House of Ideas could muster (within budget, of course)! He scripted the initial run of Conan for the first 115 issues.

Truth be told, were it not for the team of Jim Zub and Patch Zircher and their preceding Conan the Gambler storyline, I may have walked away from Marvel’s new Conan titles entirely. Up until then, we’d seen average stories, largely dumbed down, with minimal narrative and newer (and often poor) artwork. I had actually started to seek out the Conan mini-series from the 90s that Thomas penned and had just finished reading the three-part Flame & The Fiend (art by Geof Isherwood).

Those series, while not quite as good as Thomas’ earlier work, certainly are light years ahead of most of what we’ve been served by Marvel since January.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thomas is back, at least for this storyline, and now even newer readers will get to see what all the “hubbub” is about.

Review: Savage Sword of Conan (Vol. 2) #10

Conan has bested another warrior in a tavern and is collecting the winnings from his victory. A lithe, crooked-tooth bookmaker, working with Conan on the sly, hands over the Cimmerian’s hard-earned coin.

A Corinthian noblewoman named Serra, having observed the fight, wishes to hire Conan to accompany her and ensure her safety on a trip through the Himelian Mountains. The fighter she has already hired, Zubair, is obviously not pleased by this arrangement.

It’s pretty clear that Zubair will be a problem at some point in this new tale.

The journey commences, and the noblewoman’s intrepid band soon encounters some brigands. Will the team of Conan and Zubair have their hands full, or will the bandits be easy pickings for the seasoned barbarian and the mercenary swordsman?

CAPSULE REVIEW: Look at the small snippets of artwork here. What do you notice is different? There’s a dialogue! There is character development, and these are a few of the pages with only a small amount of text. It’s refreshing to finally be able to “read” instead of just “look at” a Marvel Conan comic book.

This issue has all the prerequisites of a good Conan tale. The artwork by Alan Davis is excellent, although I do miss the backgrounds so capably created by Patch Zircher in the previous SSoC storyline.

For those of you who are new to the series and enjoying what we’ve seen so far, this is a look at how Conan “used” to be written, yet it’s certainly still as valid and entertaining as it was during the 1970s and 1980s.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue an 8.5. Compared to what we’ve been served thus far in 2019, I’d rate it a 9.5.

Lots of potential here and a great issue that lays out all the groundwork for the rest of the story and not to be missed. Thank you, Roy Thomas!