Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone – Volume 01 Issue 04

My Rating

“Battle Of The Black Stone – Part 04 The Future Yet Unwritten”

Conan lay dying in the arms of his love, Brissa of the Gurian tribe. Fate had seen their roles reversed. For, it was not long ago that Brissa had been lost during Conan’s raid on the Black Stone Fortress erected deep inside the Pictlands. Now the scout is one of the remaining adventures pulled across time and space to do battle with ancient eldritch terrors.

As the 14th century Puritan, Solomon Kane, and Professor John Kirowan of Chicago stood watching the Cimmerian struggle with his last breath, a greenish glowing aura began to emit from each one of their bodies. A cackling laugh erupted from their flank, it was the spectral ghost of Texas-born fiction writer, James Allison. He had reappeared from the ether with a dire message.

They were all brought forth and bound to this Hyborian age by the very black stone amulet draped around Conan’s neck. Without his living fire, each one of them would fade back into their own reality. These, of course, were the final words from James Allison – the man cursed with nightmarish visions channeled through a great old one.

“The One Who Awakens – The Strange Origins Of Shuma Gorath”

Writer Jeffrey Shanks reveals the very origins of Robert E Howard’s most feared deity in this epic exposé. From it’s/his humble beginnings as a side note of a Lemurian sorcerer (“The Curse of the Golden Skull”), to the Roy Thomas adaptation for various Marvel Comics, Shuma Gorath is an ancient cosmic being so powerful that our primitive minds are unable to comprehend! If you are a true fan of HP Lovecraft, Doctor Strange, or our beloved Conan, you will want to read this article. It’s a blast!

Reviewer Notes

We have reached the grand finale in Titan’s miniseries “Battle of the Black Stone”, featuring a crossover event not seen anywhere else in literature. Jim Zub does an outstanding job bringing together several of Robert E Howard’s less well known characters to battle the ultimate bad guy. Forget Kulan Gath and Thulsa Doom, for they are but a pimple upon Shuma Gorath’s tentacle ass! This event is about saving mankind from the ancient evil of a Great Old One. No one is safe!

I absolutely love the art, writing, and production here. For me, Titan Comics has become the apex of indie comics and will remain there for years to come. If you are a fan of fantasy comics, or just a Conan fan in general, you won’t go wrong with this miniseries. I give both issue four and the series in general, five out of five stars!