Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is finally showcasing another stupendous new issue of SSOC!
64 pulsating pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint!
Inside this breathtaking magazine you will find the following scintillating gems:
Eye-popping art pin-ups:
Conan the Barbarian by Doug Braithwaite
Conan the Barbarian by Adam Gorham
Conan the Barbarian by Gabriel Rodriguez
Conan the Barbarian by Jonathan Wayshak
Conan the Barbarian by Juan Alberto Hernández (The Twelfth Labor of Breckinridge Elkins)
CONAN: TREASURE OF THE VERMIN QUEEN! by Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham
Conan & young Fleek are after the valuables of the VER-MEN cult.
Fleek has an ulterior motive... he actually wants to liberate his beloved, Delah, from the cult.
Fleek intervenes before the VER-MEN can sacrifice Delah. The cult leader calls upon his Bug Queen. Conan breaks his sword on the Queen's hide. The Queen tosses all three of our heroes into her den... which is full of eggs.
The eggs start to HATCH. Our heroes wipe out the carnivorous offsprings and Conan shuts the talkative Queen up permanently.
Without their Queen's life force to hold them together, the VER-MEN fall apart. Conan forgives the deceitful Fleek and leaves. An unscathed egg hatches.
CONAN: WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I MET A KING by Fred Kennedy and Marco Rudy
Hana recalls her youth when Conan saved her & her mother from the sorcerer, Corbin of the Faded Hand.
In the Red City (Magyar in Corinthia), Hana's father had saved Conan's life by healing him.
Corbin kills Hana's father. Conan decides to take the young Hana to her mother at Mitra's sanctuary.
Corbin tries to kill the girl and Conan by controlling the elements.
Corbin takes over a pig that is roasting on a spit... it attacks Conan. Hana uses her nascent magical powers to freeze the swine.
Conan teaches Hana how to fish/snare and celestial navigation.
They finally reach the temple to find everyone slaughtered except for Hana's mother.
Corbin and Company arrive on the scene. Conan tells the women to run for it. Conan takes on the horde on his own.
CONAN: KINSHIP OF THE FALLEN a poem by Jim Zub illustrated by urban barbarian Dan Panosian
The Cimmerian is sitting at a table, toasting the departed.
CORMAC FITZGEOFFREY: LIVE BY THE SWORD by Zack Davisson and Max von Fafner
Cormac, the Norman-Gael, a masterless wanderer, is killing for Lord Guillaume de Montforts.
Cormac breaks his sword on his latest victim. Friend, Sir William de Fontane (not to be confused with William Fontaine de la Tour Dauterive) brings Cormac his horse and blood money.
Cormac confirms that he did indeed once save the life of Richard the Lion-hearted aka Richard I of England (from Hawks of Outremer).
Cormac (a chief in Ireland) ponders about worshiping the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Guillaume finds Cormac too unpredictable, he wants the savage fighter slain. William fails to terminate Cormac. Cormac buries William with Guillaume's money. Now craving payback, Cormac departs.
CONAN: COILS OF THE GOLDEN EMPRESS a new prose story by John C. Hocking (Conan: City of the Dead) illustrated by Tom Raney
A direct sequel to Robert E. Howard's Queen of the Black Coast.
Conan is still on the white beach, he spots Kushite Captain Tegbarasa, Shemite Nabhan and Stygian deep sea diver Shutette. They are suppliers of jellyfish eggs (which are torture devices) to the chief of the Bamzagas, a splinter tribe of the Bamula (Conan at the Demon's Gate, The Castle of Terror, The Vale of Lost Women).
Conan fibs that he is a castaway by the name of Corin. Conan is offered Yellowtail fish and wine.
The Stygian recognizes Conan as the pirate king: Amra the Lion. All three men try to capture Conan. Merchants of Shem have a bounty on the Barbarian. Conan kills Nabhan and flees into the swamp... into quicksand.
Conan keeps his body afloat and hidden by holding on to a tree's roots.
Shutette would love to find the remains of Bêlit’s burned and sunken burial ship.
Thinking Conan dead, Tegbarasa and Shutette sail to the center of the bay. Conan secretly swims to their boat.
The Golden Empress jellyfish stings the Cimmerian! Conan jumps on the boat, he kills and tosses Tegbarasa into the water onto the jellyfish.
Conan disconnects Shutette's (who is still scouring the bottom of the bay) air supply.
Conan elects to sail into Bamula territory.
CONAN: THE WUTHERING by Liam Sharp
Conan finds a dying warrior of the Æsir (not a Vanir), Tor Himdhul (Son of Lars Himdhul) who is looking for a warriors's death to enter Valhalla.
Conan refuses to fight Tor, the Barbarian has no beef with the Æsir. Niord (from The Frost-Giant's Daughter) was a great friend.
Tor tells his tale: In the Pictish wilderness, a dust storm separated Tor from his party. Tor tries to find his way home to Asgard (Asgard lies to the north; Vanaheim to the northwest of Cimmeria). Tor stumbles upon a forest within a ravine where he encounters a Nymph. Tor tries to catch the temptress, but he smashes into a branch and tumbles down a cliff.
Tor nicks Conan to get him to fight. Conan insults Tor to make him stand up. Tor gives Conan the fair fight he was looking for and the Cimmerian puts Tor out of his misery.
Tor thanks Conan for his assistance and dies. The cannibalistic Nymph (who swore to return for Tor on the day of his passing) grabs Tor's corpse and disappears.
Tor's mount returns to find Conan alone. Conan decides to cross the Thunder River border into Aquilonia.
What I did like:
MAX VON FAFNER is back and he portrays Cormac's lion-like head perfectly! BTW, CAESAR'S SPY (ISBN: 9781787746978) by famed French writer Jean-Pierre Pécau and Max von Fafner will be ON SALE SEPTEMBER 9, 2025!
The ancient culture of Erin (Ireland) mentioned.
What if the Queen from Aliens (1986) had a really big mouth.
More stories by John C. Hocking is always appreciated!
Zabhela (coastal city in Kush) mentioned.
Corin is the name of Conan's father.
Conan will become the war chief of the Bamulas.
Venarium mentioned.
Liam Sharp is channeling Gustave Doré.
Nice covers by Alex Horley and the legendary Joe Jusko!
The letters page is back!
We will be getting new Savage Sword stories featuring: Bêlit, Sailor Steve Costigan, Cormac Mac Art, El Borak, Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and more.
We will be getting even more Roy Thomas in Savage Sword!
Women appear in almost all of the stories! Bravo!
Mitra, Derketo, Set and Odin mentioned.
What I did not like:
FitzGeoffrey's shield with the horrific emblem of his family, a white grinning skull, is MIA.
Women do not appear on any of the covers.
Where's the Thulsa Doom Tribute issue of The Savage Sword of Conan to honour the memory of James Earl Jones?
No removable poster in the middle of the magazine!
I give it a 9/10. We are getting plenty of pin-ups and six stories for our buck this time around! This monochrome smorgasbord of barbarism will satisfy any mature reader who is starved for adventure. Again, I encourage all of you to support your fave Barbarian by purchasing this amazing mag! The second year of The Savage Sword of Conan continues to astound. Secure your copy today!
