Zub Tales

SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #16 kicks off the TIDES OF THE TYRANT-KING event with 3 stories that tie into the big story. Working with Nicola Scott, Chris Campana, and Sean Izaakse was amazing. Let’s see what the critics thought-

• Comic Crusaders: 9/10 “Savage Sword should feel like opening a forbidden drawer full of maps, monsters, doomed men, dangerous women, and stories somebody definitely told you not to read before bed. Issue #16 gets that vibe. It is muscular without becoming brainless, reverent toward Howard without becoming trapped by him, and visually varied without losing the magazine’s identity.”

• Comic Culture: “This is a great foundational book for things to come over in Conan proper…Savage Sword of Conan is one of the best books out right now.”

• Cupcake Comic Reviews: “One of my favorite titles out there…Jim Zub doing what Jim Zub does best, which is staying savage on this book. He’s killing every single issue.”

• The Dragon’s Cache: 9.8/10 “Nicola Scott steeps her epic scenes and heartfelt recollections with shades of gray, lending depth and reality to her art in The Savage Sword of Conan #16.”

• Eternal Crusader: “A strong companion piece to Tides of the Tyrant King…Zub’s Conan can always be more than blood, steel, and pulp spectacle when he decides to dig a little deeper and explore the humanity behind it all.”

• Fanlight Zone: 10/10 “Love it, absolutely love it. Jim Zub doing the best work of his career on this character…It is the combination of great art, great story, great character – It all comes together in one kick-ass package. What more could you want?”

• Gaming Trend: 8/10 ” This jumbo-sized issue serves as a perfect prequel to Tides of the Tyrant King, with the trio of stories beautifully showcasing the ongoing machinations of Thulsa Doom while also establishing compelling new characters that promise to play big roles in the miniseries.”

• Goodreads: 9/10 “This is clearly a setup issue, but it did exactly what it needed to do: delivered some great sword-and-sorcery fun and made me even more excited for what comes next.”

• Kabooooom: 10/10 “Zub’s stories are as engaging as ever and he is well-matched by his artistic collaborators. More than any writer to dabble in the Hyborian Age, Zub goes beyond emulating Howard’s style and truly expands his creations.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “I got more than expected. I am a sucker for black and white, especially on newsprint. The two tie in stories were fantastic and I am excited for the new series to begin…Overall, I am adding yet another Conan to my pull list from here on.”

• Major Spoilers: “I really like the black and white art. It is very conducive to this kind of pulp story and an anthology series…Jim Zub’s writing is really great. He understands the characters, the settings. He knows what he wants to do.”

• Old Man Hyborian: “All three stories were penned by Jim Zub and pretty decent, all three of them. You can see how he’s going to set up this new mini-series. The main story arc was drawn by Nicola Scott. Pretty decent art and I really liked that.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: 8/10 “I love how Jim Zub is not just taking Conan and polishing him off and bringing him fresh and exciting for a new generation of fans and appeasing the older generation of fans, but also putting the spotlight on some of the lesser known characters from the Howardverse.”

• Stygian Dogs: “The more I think about the story, the more I love it. It’s a success from both the writer and the artist…What else can be said? It’s just awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Add in three tremendous pin-ups and an exciting art contest and the issue is an absolute winner. A must read prior to next week’s release of the excellent Conan Tides of the Tyrant King #1.”