Book 23 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! As is now default for me, my link to the book is through my bookshop dot org affiliate account.

I haven’t read many comics in recent years, even though I was a huge reader in years past, though I enjoy jumping back into the format from time to time. I’m also, as the title of this blog indicates, a huge Robert E. Howard and Conan the Barbarian fan, so I was delighted when Titan Comics offered me a review copy of the most recent compilation of Conan the Barbarian comics, Twisting Loyalties, covering issues #17-20!

The four issues cover two connected two-issue stories connected to Conan’s time with Bêlit, Pirate Queen of the Black Coast. Bêlit was first introduced in Howard’s 1934 story Queen of the Black Coast, often considered one of the best of the Conan tales. In it, Conan takes passage on a merchant vessel to flee from the civil authorities of the city of Argos, but the ship is attacked by Bêlit’s pirates. The pirates slaughter the entire crew, save Conan, whose fighting spirit earns Bêlit’s love. In a striking and unusual arrangement, Conan becomes Bêlit’s mate, serving in a subservient role to her authority, and the pair build infamy for their piracy. The story ends when they take their ship in search of cursed treasure in the jungle and Bêlit is killed; in a scene that was later borrowed by the Conan the Barbarian movie, however, her spirit comes back to save Conan one last time.

The short story only contains hints of the Bêlit spent together, and the four issues of Twisting Loyalties aim to fill in some of that unexplored era. The first two issues tell the tale of Conan and Bêlit, spending some time together on the town, opting to team up with a shifty rogue to steal a priceless artifact from serpent-worshipping Stygians. The second two issues follow Conan as he wanders to escape the jungle after Bêlit’s death, and find that a Stygian curse haunts him because of his earlier adventure.

The two stories were drawn by two different artists: Danica Brine for the former, Doug Braithwaite for the latter. Brine’s style is very clean and to me captures the classic feel of the Conan comics I read as a kid. Braithwaite’s art is much more gritty and it works well for showing Conan at the end of his rope, struggling to survive a hostile wilderness. The colors in all issues are vibrant and eye-catching.

The volume ends with some insights into the background of each issue, written by Jeffrey Shanks, which to a Howard fan like me were quite welcome and insightful! I particularly enjoyed the history of the character of Zula, who appears in the latter two issues of the volume. Zula is a comic book original, first appearing in 1978, and a version of Zula was notably played by Grace Jones in the Conan movie sequel Conan the Destroyer.

It is worth noting that book also includes preliminary design sketches by the artists as well as variant covers for those who like a peek at the thought processes behind the creation of comics.

So what did I think of the stories themselves! I enjoyed them immensely, and read through the entire volume in a single sitting. The first tale is reminiscent of classic Conan heist stories like “Rogues in the House” and “The Tower of the Elephant,” while the second tale has the feel of Conan survival stories like “Beyond the Black River” and “The Black Stranger.” Together, these tales really capture the essence of the character of Conan, and were a delight to read.

Perhaps the best endorsement I can give of the volume: when I finished it, I wanted to know what happens next! The final issue ends with a revelation that could lead to further troubles for Conan (or maybe not, depending on how one interprets it) but I am keen to see what new trouble Conan gets into. Twisting Loyalties gives a wonderful dose of that classic Conan the Barbarian adventure feeling.