Sword-brothers, sword-sisters, your local spinner rack is once again brandishing another brand new issue of SSOC!
64 startling pages of barbaric savagery in black-and-white printed on newsprint paper!
Inside this gorgeous magazine you will find the following:
Terrific art pin-ups:
Conan the Barbarian by Ivan Gil (Conan: Scourge of the Serpent)
El Borak versus Samiri by Patrick Zircher (Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring)
CONAN: HEART OF DARKNESS by Chris Ryall (Mighty Marvel Calendar Book: A Visual History) and Gabriel Rodriguez (Robert E. Howard: Rattle of Bones & Other Terrifying Tales)
Ghulistani Hinterlands
A beast of sorceress Er'Bo'A attacks Conan, C'Kaan (a sorcerer and an homage to The Guy aka the mascot of Disturbed), Jorgus and Buterra the Wise (an homage to Heroic Signatures editor Chris Butera). Buterra dies.
The dying beast infects Conan with its black magic. An old woman (Hanna, whose daughters (Suna and Suhar) are under the influence of Er'Bo'A) cleanses Conan.
For saving his life, Conan promises Hanna that he will rescue Suna and Suhar. Hanna gives her Heart of Darkness necklace to Conan.
Conan rejoins the treasure hunters: C'Kaan, Jorgus, Ubar and Valenthra.
C'Kaan absorbs the life-force of Er'Bo'A's flying bat-creatures and our gold seekers enter the cave of the sorceress.
Our heroes are attacked by blind flapping monstrosities, Conan rides one of them down to the golden kingdom/city/temple of Er'Bo'A.
Orgg (a giant Ogre) attacks! Conan uses Jorgus' golden blade to kill the monster.
Er'Bo'A, a blind tiger and Hanna's two daughters (Suna and Suhar) appear.
Er'Bo'A wants to bring her lost world back by triggering the eruption of an active volcano, she forces Conan & friends to bow to her and ties them up with molten tendrils (a Tendril Inhumanoids homage?).
Er'Bo'A's people now live inside invulnerable stone bodies (a Granite Mutore Inhumanoids homage?).
Er'Bo'A burns Jorgus' arm off with lava while giving him back his golden sword.
Suhar frees Conan, Conan frees Ubar, Ubar frees Valenthra, Conan frees Jorgus' sword from Jorgus' severed arm.
Suna spots her mother's Heart of Darkness necklace on the floor.
C'Kaan reveals that he was part of Er'Bo'A's lost kingdom. Er'Bo'A loses her mask (a Conquest (1983) homage?). Conan cleaves Er'Bo'A in two and stops Er'Bo'A's tower from growing. C'Kaan decides to stay behind to stop the volcano from erupting.
Suna and Suhar lead Jorgus, Ubar and Valenthra to safety. Ubar saves Conan from falling back into the volcano.
BRAN MAK MORN: THE PRECIPICE a prose story by Fabian Nicieza (Savage Sword of Conan (2024) #9) with a single illustration by Tom Raney
The Dumnonii twins (Ahearn and Ansgar) and Bran Mak Morn, the Pictish warrior-king of the united rebel tribes of Briton are pursuing three different Roman couriers.
The first two couriers ride to Mamucium and Eburacum, the twins follow. Bran goes after the third courier who is dressed as a peasant, clearly the courier carrying a real message to the Roman commanders.
Bran's quarry (Aquila Avilius Calpurnias) falls into a muddy crevice running along the cliffs next to the Môr Manaw (Irish Sea). Bran also slides to the bottom of the precipice.
Aquila and Bran help each other out to escape the abyss.
Aquila tries to kill Bran. Bran kills Aquila.
Bran reads the letter and realizes that it is a calling for an end to the Roman occupation.
The letter falls on the wet ground... making it illegible.
EL BORAK: CURSE OF THE GOLDEN CALF by Patrick Zircher and Mirko Colak (Conan the Barbarian (2012) #13-14)
Balochistan/Baluchistan east of Persia
Fresh from his escapade in Khuzdar/Hozdar with the Lashari (a Baloch tribe), the Texan adventurer know as El Borak ("The Swift") aka Francis Xavier Gordon stumbles upon herders.
Urooj tries to kill El Borak... he fails. Ahmad Nazir Ullah gives Urooj's job (riding herd on stolen, perfect, headstrong Lohani cattle) to El Borak.
A colossus made of metal appears and crushes Faraz to a bloody pulp.
El Borak realizes that the herders are actually Orakzai cattle rustlers and leaves.
The rustlers want to reach the Khojak mountain pass. The colossus strikes again and kills Joma and Nazir.
The Ras Koh Range. The colossus breaks El Borak's right clavicle.
The colossus introduces himself as Samiri (from the Quran), The Keeper of the Sacred Herd who was banished by Moses, son of Amram for constructing the golden calf.
Samiri spares El Borak's Life. With his sacred cattle reacquired, The Keeper returns into exile.
What I did like:
A Wheel of Pain (the grain mill from Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)) necklace!
Covers by Geof Isherwood and Adrian Smith.
Mitra mentioned.
The Pompa Circensis ("circus parade") mentioned.
Stories by other authors!!
Five women appear in one story and they all talk! Five!!
What I did not like:
No cover by Jay Anacleto!
Still no Miraaj in The Savage Sword of Conan, after all these years, she deserves an origin story.
Needed more pin-ups!
Women do not appear on any of the covers. Sexist and disrespectful!
No removable poster in the middle of the magazine! When are we getting a pull-out poster of the Robert E. Howard Group Shot by Rafael Kayanan?
No letters page.
I give it a 10/10. A magnificent mag chock-full of captivating content! Support the Savage Sword! Buy! Buy! Buy!