Conan the Barbarian #24 review — Secrets, shadows, and sorrow surround the Cimmerian

After weeks spent as a gladiatorial slave of the sorceress Athyr-Bast, Conan’s time in the Stygian city of Keshatta is almost at an end. But with Thoth-Amon’s secret plot now looming over the barbarian as well as saving his captive companion Livia, time is not on Conan’s side. Can he stop Thoth-Amon and escape the vile city, or will the barbarian’s freedom come only with his last breath?

*Mild spoilers ahead for Conan the Barbarian #24*

Picking up from the events of the previous issue, Conan and his shapeshifter ally Zula now find themselves hunted men courtesy of Athyr-Bast, who escaped them at the end of the last issue. This would complicate matters enough if all they needed to do was to simply escape. Their task, however, is far more difficult. After learning that the Set worshipping sorcerer Thoth-Amon is preparing to unleash a vile plot upon the city, Conan and Zula must rush to put a premature end to the vile sorcerer’s plans deep beneath the city streets. However, the pair has more than just the men hunting them to contend with. Ever distrustful of magic, Conan’s feelings begin to threaten his trust in his supposed ally, with only the shapeshifter’s vow to assist him in rescuing Livia keeping him committed to aiding him against Thoth-Amon’s machinations. 

As a seemingly final act to this arc of writer Jim Zub’s run on Conan the Barbarian, it pays off well. The stakes remain high throughout the issue, and with deadly foes both human and monster rising to challenge the barbarian’s blade, the story certainly isn’t lacking in action. But the finale doesn’t just rely on nonstop action to keep things exciting. The dialogue between Conan and Zula provides answers to questions lingering from the previous issue, tying up loose ends even as those answers add to the rapidly growing tension looming over them.

The final pages of the issue, in particular, are heartbreaking, thanks in no small part to the artistic talents of illustrator Fernando Dagnino. The weight of everything Conan feels in those final pages is horribly palpable, leaving us with an ending that is as satisfying as it is sorrowful. 

But is this truly the end? Or simply the beginning of something larger? It’s been a little secret that Zub has been building towards something much larger within his growing Howardverse, both in this title and in other Titan comics such as his recent contribution to The Savage Sword of Conan or the Free Comic Book Day Conan special. Additionally, Zub leaves a few key points unresolved, points too important to allow to simply be forgotten. So while the Cimmerian’s troubles in Keshatta may now be at a well-earned end, his escape from the evil machinations of the servants of Set may be but a temporary one.

Conan the Barbarian #24 is available September 10th from Titan Comics.