REVIEW: Conan the Barbarian #15 (2024)

At the conclusion of Conan the Barbarian #14, Conan was embroiled in a brutal skirmish between Aesir and Vanir Northmen. His Aesir comrades-in-arms wiped out in the conflict, it falls to Conan to dispatch the final Vanir champion. He catches a savage sword blow to the helmet, however, leaving him dazed and reeling. At long last, the red-haired beauty that has spent weeks stalking Conan from just out of sight takes the opportunity to reveal herself. The icy nymph goads the barbarian—who is concussed to the point he is unsure “whether to fight or frolic”—into pursuing her across the glittering snow. Wary of deception, Conan nevertheless shunts his misgivings to the side and surrenders to his lust and confusion.

Part III of the Frozen Faith storyline, this episode is entitled “Gods in the North.” This is, of course, the alternate title of a Robert E. Howard Conan story better known as “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter.” This single issue presents the entire narrative of the Howard short story, making the two previous issues an original prologue for the adaptation and leaving the forthcoming issue #16 as a coda.

When interviewed about Howard adaptations within the Titan Comics Conan the Barbarian series, Jim Zub repeatedly stated that he didn’t want to be a “cover band” rehashing the hits, but that stance appears to have evolved over time, with Zub later stating “I didn’t want to explore Frost-Giant’s Daughter material unless there was something fresh and exciting we could bring to the mix…” in a newsletter post. Whether or not this augmented adaptation experiment has been a success will be ultimately determined by the final issue in the Frozen Faith arc, but I find myself ambivalent.

Excellent as always, the included essay by Jeffrey Shanks provides valuable context regarding the history of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” both the original prose story and its comic adaptations. As Shanks points out, there have been three previous comic adaptations of the story, most recently in the 2004 Dark Horse Comics Conan. Are the original scenes and new characters presented here enough to justify yet another adaptation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter”? I’m torn. As a Howard fan first and foremost, I generally approve of efforts to promote the original stories to Conan the Barbarian comic readers who may not be familiar with the classics. On the other hand, I applauded Zub’s previously stated reluctance to revisit well-traveled ground and have been excited to see his
new, original Conan tales.

Necessity aside, the adaptation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” presented here is largely an effective one. Zub’s prose is as propulsive as always, and the red-haired temptress Atali’s imperious internal monologue is written with relish. Doug Braithwaite’s battle scenes remain strong and dynamic, but alluring women seem like an artistic weakness for him. Braithwaite’s Atali is pretty, but not quite on the level that a supernatural siren should be, especially since the plot depends on Conan desperately chasing her into dangerous territory despite exhaustion and injuries. In this reader’s opinion, his scrawny depiction of Atali compares unfavorably to the 2004 Dark Horse
rendition by Cary Nord or even the ones delivered by the other cover artists for the current story
arc.

Bolstered by the strong foundation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” Conan the Barbarian #15 is the strongest issue in the Frozen Faith arc thus far. With one post-climactic issue remaining, however, it’s difficult to predict where Zub will take the story from here. It’s also not yet clear whether the “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” retelling is a one-off, with the title returning to original stories, or if other Howard adaptations will appear in the future. Only time will tell, but the Frozen Faith storyline and this particular issue may come to represent a significant transition in the Titan Comics incarnation of Conan the Barbarian.

Read Conan the Barbarian #15 by Jim Zub (W) and Doug Braithwaite (A)

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