Review by Frank Plowright

As is generally the case, as long as there’s a passing knowledge of Conan’s progress from warrior to king, each of Jim Zub’s Conan graphic novels stands alone. This has no connection with the previous Nest of Serpents. Zub looks at two periods of Conan’s life, the first as king of Aquilonia when a cloaked beggar turn up asking for three days hospitality in exchange for something Conan needs to hear.

It’s clever overall in establishing the Conan legend, but maximum enjoyment is going to hinge on an appreciation of Alex Horley’s digital painting. He initially presents a credibly aged Conan bearing a lifetime’s scars, while his posture on the throne shows a man bored with his position and seeking adventure. Horley’s pages are very much in the Frazetta tradition of Conan, and Zub’s script plays to that strength by becoming a run through Conan’s greatest hits, allowing for montage scenes of Conan battering some well known threats. The initial mystery of an extended story, though, is diminished by the flashbacks before Zub pulls things together again at the end.

The longer title story looks back to Conan’s mercenary days and a weakened Aquilonia ruled by a different king. It’s designed as a three act play musing on the intricacies of power and rebellion, and as seen on the sample art, Fernando Dagnino’s influence is another Conan great, John Buscema. It’s one thing to aim at Buscema’s mastery, yet Dagnino pulls it off with excellent page compositions and packed panels. It’s a battle-heavy story and Dagnino’s detail is astounding.

There are stories where the outcome is entirely predictable, but the joy is the twists arranged in the journey toward it, and ‘The Conquering Crown’ is of that type. It’s peak Conan and very satisfying.