Conan: Scourge of the Serpent Prelude (Free Comic Book Day) review - An epic set-up to the Barbarian’s next great adventure

What comic lover doesn’t love Free Comic Book Day, especially when one of the offerings is a new Conan the Barbarian adventure from Jim Zub? The mastermind behind the epic team-up of Robert E Howard characters in Battle of the Black Stone is back again, this time featuring a much different, though still very familiar, version of Conan: the thief. Specifically, a 17-year-old thief, young and carefree, already bearing the makings of the legend he will become. 

*Mild spoilers ahead for those of you that didn’t nab a copy of Conan: Scourge of the Serpent Prelude on Free Comic Book Day*

As mentioned in my review of Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone, I love Jim Zub’s writing for the character. He does such a great job balancing the brutality of the Barbarian with his cunning, creating a character that feels three-dimensional and fleshed out. That’s not to say that he’s about to have Conan abandon his weapons and start fighting his foes with words rather than his strength and skill, but it is nice to see Zub not shy away from showing that Conan’s mind is as sharp as his blade. 

As stated above, this adventure shows us a different version of the character than we saw in Battle of the Black Stone. There, we saw Conan as a seasoned warrior who had already become a legend. Here, he’s a youthful 17, driven by wanderlust and worldly pleasures. The only problem is that he has no money to his name. So what is a Barbarian to do? Get a job? Learn an honest trade? (Jim, there’s your next story, Conan the Accountant.) No, he decides to become a thief, utilizing his already impressive skills to break into the home of a local noble. A simple task for the Barbarian. However, what he finds there promises to have long-reaching effects that Zub teases will echo through the ages. 

The artwork is done by Ivan Gil, whose illustrations perfectly complement Zub’s writing. From small details in the backgrounds to fast-paced action, Gil’s artwork makes the world feel alive while feeling consistent with other artists that have featured in Zub’s Conan stories.

If this is a taste of what is to come from Jim Zub and Titan Comics, I can’t wait to check out what’s next!

Conan: Scourge of the Serpent is coming this fall from Titan Comics. Visit your local comic shop ASAP to grab a copy of the Free Comic Book Day prelude issue before they’re all gone!