Titan Comics; $6.99 

Titan’s revival of The Savage Sword of Conan and their other efforts with Robert E. Howard’s barbarian have been fun to watch. Sure, there’s been a bit of nostalgia for those of us who remember the original black and white magazine’s long run at Marvel Comics, but those memories of bygone days would fade pretty quickly if the art and stories weren’t up to snuff. 

Thus far, the series has featured work from a variety of writers and artists. Last issue’s epic tale of “The Sunless Isle” by writer-artist Patch Zircher, followed issues with great longer form stories from writers including John Arcudi, Frank Tieri, Jason Aaron, and Roy Thomas (the man who brought Conan to comics in the first place at Marvel). 

This issue sees Jim Zub, who has already carved his name into the list of highly influential Conan writers with his two-year run on Titan’s Conan The Barbarian color comic, teamed with artist Doug Braithwaite. The results are spectacular. 

“Twice Paid Debts” is a 32-page story told in two chapters. Steeped in a combination of action, shadows, brooding tension, and mystery – a combination familiar to fans of the character – Zub and Braithwaite deliver a great story with tight dialogue and beautiful art.  

There are two other features in this issue as well, and they’re very enjoyable, but the main story is worth the price of admission by itself. 

– J.C. Vaughn