Conan the Barbarian #23 Review — Slithering secrets surround the Cimmerian

When we last saw our favorite sullen-faced, black-haired Barbarian, he had narrowly survived the deadly magic of the sorceress Athyr-Bast thanks to the timely intervention of the shapeshifter Zula. But was this intervention a mere gesture of kindness for an ally? Or does the generosity of the warrior from the Black Kingdom have other motives?

*Mild spoilers ahead for Conan the Barbarian #23*

Continuing with part three of the A Nest of Serpents storyline, writer Jim Zub (whom GamingTrend awarded a Best of Gen Con award for his work on Conan) and artist Fernando Dagnino drop us right back in where he left us in issue #22, with Conan having just narrowly avoided a grim fate at the hands of Athyr-Bast. Standing before him is his savior, Zula, and while Conan protests that he didn’t require the shapeshifter’s aid in breaking free from the enchantress’s thrall, he agrees to help him infiltrate the Temple of Set to meet with Thoth-Amon, if for no other reason than to repay his debt.

Though present for the entirety of the story, Conan himself isn’t the focus of this issue. Rather, Zub uses him as an eye for us as the story delves deeper into sorcery and the secret plot brewing within Keshatta. We see the night’s events through Conan’s eyes. Eyes that do not understand the intricacies of magic or the politics of the various factions involved in the city any more than we the readers do. Which is what makes the stakes of the story feel all the more daunting. Conan is a warrior, forced to confront forces he doesn’t understand with nothing more than a sword and his own strength. We feel his frustrations throughout the story as Zub provides insight into the Barbarian’s inner thoughts, revealing his concerns and confusion and anger as they come. Things we would likely feel ourselves if dropped into a similar situation (though likely without the same bravado Conan exhibits throughout the story).

While the previous issue felt like a complete story in itself (save for the cliffhanger ending, of course), this issue is very clearly the middle of a much larger story. Though Zub is excellent about making sure readers know who each major character is without bogging down the story with unnecessary exposition dumps, it would be far harder to jump into this particular issue without having read #22. This doesn’t weaken the narrative being told here, as readers would be able to tell from the beginning that this is part three of a larger story, but it is something to keep in mind if you’re planning on picking up this issue without having read the previous ones.

As before, the story ends on another cliffhanger, but not without setting up something big for the coming issues. It’s still unclear exactly what the powers at play are plotting, but whatever it is Conan will likely need more than steel and strength to combat it. Will he be ready for what’s to come? Will we?

Conan the Barbarian #23 is available August 13th from Titan Comics.