Review by Frank Plowright

The Age Unconquered beginning with mention of a statue made from accursed black stone, it’s clear there’s a connecting thread to Jim Zub’s Conan continuity. That might also have been assumed by the ending to Thrice Marked for Death, where Conan was convinced by mystical means to commit suicide before rising from the ground alive.

Here he joins forces with a Pict leader Brule to visit Valusia, a city that’s the jewel of the era. Readers may recognise Brule from appearing to Conan in a dream during the events of Bound in Black Stone, but Conan apparently doesn’t. Zub ties this in with appearances from others those familiar with the Conan canon will recognise. Primary among them in a crowd-pleasing moment is another Robert E. Howard creation, Kull, another bare-chested brute, more given to glum brooding than Conan.

As shown on the sample art, Roberto De La Torre draws the inevitable confrontation utilising his best John Buscema choreography, and applies Buscema’s style to the remainder, featuring plenty of panels of a glowering Conan, his face half in shadow. It’s excellent art, yet surely an individual approach is better than a copy of a style so indelibly associated with Conan.

Pleasingly, Kull is present for more than just a wish-fulfilling test of who’s the strongest, and via other methods Zub ensures he’s not covering the same ground as previous volumes. The question behind everything is who’s powerful enough to send Conan skittering through time? Regular Conan readers will be able to take a stab in the dark for the answer, although for newer readers Zub provides a full backstory, tying it solidly into his ongoing plots. There’s also a neat twist giving Conan an advantage when it comes to confronting the threat.

As every one of Zub’s volumes have been to date, The Age Unconquered is very good. Conan’s not perceived as a great thinker, but Zub puts him into situations where he has to use his wits as well as his brawn, and the presence of Kull raises this still further. The bar is set high for Frozen Faith.