My Rating
“Thrice Marked For Death! – Part 01 The Heist”
Following the defeat of the lost tribe conjured by Thulsa Doom’s cult, and the fall of the Obsidian Fortress, Conan roamed the east looking for a new purpose. In the port city of Argo fate would turn against him as the local magistrate sought his head for a series of altercations with the King’s guard.
As luck would have it, the barbarian gained passage aboard a trade vessel bound for the lands of the Kushites. For a time, Conan worked as a sellsword on the Argus, but his skills would be tested once again as the privateers were attacked by the Queen of the Black Coast. It was at this time Conan fell madly in love with Bêlit the Shemite. The two would become inseparable even at the cost of their own crews. But this too would come to an end. The dark haired Bêlit would fall victim to a monstrous demon in the hidden city on the river Styx.
Conan would suffer great melancholy as his purpose was lost along with his love. In the next few months the Barbarian found himself wandering the streets of Shadizar, the sister city of Zamora. There Conan would spend his days drunk and without care. In time his paths would cross with the thieves guild known as the Gloryhounds. The members would see value in his war-skills, thus recruiting the brute into their ranks of pickpockets and cutthroats.
Will Conan find his purpose once again by raiding the temple of Bel? What horrors await those who attempt entry into the Den of Deceit? Can the sneak-thief known as Chaundra learn Conan’s past before it catches up to him? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Titan’s Conan the Barbarian #5 picks up just months after Robert E. Howard’s Queen of the Black Coast storyline – first published in Weird Tales #23 (May 1934). If you would like to read that storyline first I recommend purchasing the two issue adaptation of the Cimmerian: Queen of the Black Coast by Ablaze Comics (2020). Those books contain a faithful reproduction of the story published in Weird Tales. The two books also contain the original text and production notes. I will also say the art is amazing.
With that said, I do recommend this issue as Titan Books continues to give us top notch art and writing faithful to Robert E. Howard’s original stories. I give this issue of Conan the Barbarian four out of five stars. It is definitely worth the price tag in my opinion.
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