Conan the Barbarian #26 review - Conan’s journey to the throne begins

Last month, Titan Comics and Jim Zub treated us to a special jumbo-sized issue to commemorate the 25th issue of Zub’s Conan the Barbarian run (the review of which can be read here). In that, we saw Conan as he would one day be: king of Aquilonia. Now, Zub takes us back in time to show us just how a barbarian from Cimmeria became the king of the greatest nation of the Hyborian Age. 

*Mild spoilers ahead for Conan the Barbarian #26*

What happens when a ruler appears to have gone mad? The commonfolk suffer, allies begin to conspire, and adversaries prepare to move in at the first sign of weakness. Such is the case in Aquilonia when our story begins. King Numedides of Aquilonia has seemingly gone mad, and as the kingdom continues to deteriorate beneath the growing stress his madness is causing, talk of rebellion begins to spread. Such news is met with great excitement by king of Zingara, Fredrugo de Ramiro III, who sees this as an opportunity to take the Aquilonian province of Poitain for himself. 

In Aquilonia, Count Trocero and his entourage are returning home to Culario when they suddenly come under fire by Zingaran archers. Those who manage to survive the initial attack do so only to witness a horrific sight: Culario burning in the distance. When word of the attack reaches King Numedides, however, he refuses to send out the Aquilonian army to aid Poitain. Instead, he gives the order to “Send in the damn mercenaries.” It’s here that Conan finds his way into the story, as he has joined up with a mercenary company known as the Westermarck Wolves. Having received their orders, the mercenaries shake off the lingering grogginess born of a night of debauchery and begin the trek to Poitain. 

Zub’s time writing Conan stories has given us many different eras of the Cimmerian’s legendary life. We’ve seen him as a young, brash thief, driven by a thirst for the world’s pleasures. We’ve seen him as a roaming warrior guided by a wanderlust that refused to be ignored. We’ve seen him as a gladiator, as a time-displaced soul, as a pirate, and as a king. No matter the iteration, however, Zub has never lost sight of who Conan is at heart: a barbarian, born for battle and molded by conflict. This issue is no exception to that, as we’re treated to plenty of action from our favorite Cimmerian. What’s different this time is that you can feel how Conan has grown as a fighter compared to stories from earlier in his life. It’s very subtle, with little visible change compared to fight scenes from other issues, but it helps to highlight where Conan is on his journey. He’s not the brash young warrior we saw in earlier issues, recklessly running into battle with a sword in his hands and the arrogance of youth in his heart. Experience has made him more rational, causing him to take care to think through his actions before rushing in blindly. That’s not to say that he’s entirely a “think first, act second” character all of a sudden, however. Conan is still a warrior at heart, and though he might be a bit more strategic with his actions than he was in his younger days, he’s still more than willing to charge headlong into the fray with sword raised and a battle cry on his lips. 

Adding to his character growth is the way he acted towards the other mercenaries in the Westmarck Wolves. While Conan has had no shortage of companions and allies in the past, here it seems that he’s far more trusting and respectful of his fellow warriors. He appears genuinely distraught when some of them are slain, giving the impression that they’ve been together for a considerable time, or at least long enough to form genuine bonds with them. It’s a far cry from his attitude in Zub’s earlier Conan stories, which saw the barbarian more interested in funding his quest for battle and the world’s pleasures than the lives of many of his companions, who primarily seemed to serve no other purpose than to be a means to an end rather than genuine allies. 

Conan’s evolution doesn’t stop at the members of the Westmarck Wolves, however. As the mercenary company departs to venture to Poitain, we’re presented with a glimpse into the grim state of Aquilonia. The King’s growing madness had pushed the kingdom to the brink, leaving its people with no shortage of misery and despair. One of the other mercenaries notes this as they ride, and though Conan replies that he “cares not,” it’s clear that he’s troubled by what he sees. 

This small interaction also does a great deal for the worldbuilding of this new story arc and the events that will transpire over its course. For as mighty as Conan is, he cannot hope to simply overthrow Numedides and be done with it. There would undoubtedly be repercussions for such an act, and even a warrior as skilled as Conan cannot hope to stand against the full might of the Aquilonian army. However, Zub makes it clear through these panels and a few others throughout the issue that Aquilonia is in a dire state. Dire enough that talk of rebellion has begun to spread through the land. Dire enough that a revolution of some manner is almost guaranteed to happen. For even a king of a land as mighty as this should be worried when his people starve and suffer under his rule. Particularly when one far more worthy of their respect comes along. The seeds are being planted for Conan’s rise to power, the fruits of which we will surely see in the coming issues. 

Conan the Barbarian #26 is available now from Titan Comics.