I appreciate the kind words about my Solomon Kane essay. I also think Patch did a great job of capturing SK's character, particularly a young SK. I'm sorry you weren't happy with some of the rest of the issue. Hopefully that will change with issue 2 if you give it a chance. Thanks for your insightful feedback -- it is very much appreciated
Yes Patch is doing great work! I think issue 2 was a huge improvement. I liked a lot of Richard Pace's artwork but there's no denying some of it wasnt as good. With Gary Nord on issue 3 I think it should be really picking up steam, and issue 4 is gonna be the one that does it. I love that they're giving different artists and writers a chance.
Great review Steve! I bought my issue of SS#1 today and it's literally sitting next to me unread as I watch your review. That's massively depressing (the main story. Not your review!). I did see the quality of the B/W production in the digital copy is stellar. Unfortunately, digital printing can't fix artistic errors
Thanks Steve for being direct and unequivocal about the whole thing. The same views you expressed right now apply to movies, too. Take Matrix Resurrection movie for instance. Starting from 2014 comics and movies turned into my biggest disappointment. I May be wrong. My colleagues think I am old fashioned and a fossilized creature. I tell them I an a Kryptonian ,meaning I feel like an outsider. Thanks for your patience
This is one of best reviews I've seen, and you perfectly articulated the issues with modern comics and the damage the alt-left has done to pop culture in general. Subbed, keep up the great work. (I'll be chipping through all your other videos in the coming weeks.)
Certainly a less than perfect print result. I find that I'm not too bothered by it. Could be that I spent a lot of time with the digital version before getting the print version...maybe my mind fills in the quality gaps. Definitely valid observations regarding the comic industry. And while I think it's worthwhile to be aware of (and to be able to call out) the 'successor ideology', we also need to be able to reign in our own quixotic impulses lest we see the bogeyman everywhere. I'm not convinced of an ideological drive on Arcudi's part...or if he's been influenced editorially. That said, vigilance is worthwhile. As is discussion of the topic. 👍🙏
Maybe it's just simply bad writing/art? I've read the Solomon Kane story and Jim's short story 3 or 4 times now and enjoyed them as much each time. Same with Titans colour title. Once was enough for the dragon horde. And having been a Howard fan for 35+ years now I think I know what's right and wrong for me in a comic. Just look at how well Jim Zub wrote Brissa saving Conan and their relationship afterwards.
@@ottohoulihan2743 Yup. I did like the story enough and I read it a few times. And I thought the art was great. But it's definitely just a mid-level romp. (I've read much worse.) With a few tweaks writing-wise it could've been great. It is what it is (as they say.)
That's disappointing. Would it be possible to send you a copy of our adaptation of Robert E Howards - The Shadow Kingdom which is Kull's first story. Once we go to print. Its currently in crowdfunding
Pretty sad, but on the bonus side the Robert E Howard Foundation is bringing out some fantastic hardback editions of story collections and Howard character series, as well as letters and collected poetry. Perhaps the comics industry is no longer the place to find heroic fantasy or historical adventure.
Not the corporate mainstream. You can find plenty of heroic comics in comicsgate and other indie spheres. If you can stomach the youtuber drama, or if you can't - ignore it.
Man this needed to be said! Thank you Sir! Everyone is complaining on UA-cam about the print quality but nearly completely missing the mark on the ideology driven story that turns the "Hero's Journey" on its head! You are right, we cant allow this crap to creep into our favorite barbarians book. Stay vigilant!
Just wanted to make another minor correction on "O" vs "Oh." You are right that "O" is more grammatically correct as it's being used in the vocative case, however, Howard uses "Oh" in the final draft of his typescript and that's what was used in the original publication in Weird Tales. The correction to "O" what is likely made by de Camp. Since the publication of the authoritative Howard versions of the texts in the Del Rey/Wandering Star editions it has been changed back to Howard's original "Oh." There is still inconsistency, but this is why there is confusion.
@@ottohoulihan2743 Titan has been unknowingly inconsistent and used both, because of the confusion. That's going to change going forward as there was just an internal discussion about this. I'll have a write up about it in an upcoming issue of CtB.
@@AnAgeUndreamedOf Sounds pedantic to anyone reading this I suppose...but such is the need from Howard fans to keep things as close to the original source as possible 👍
I agree on the 1st issue of Savage Sword. I walked away from Marvel and DC years ago due to the same reasons you pointed out here. I currently only get a handful of comics, which I'm much more careful with collecting as I have gotten past the "look the other way" and "just give them one more chance" side of myself, and now will drop them in a heartbeat if I feel they are falling into the trap. With that said, I'll give SSoC 3 issues to prove to me that this first issue was simply a mistake and that Titan can be trusted to do the Conan property justice. It's sad that I just had to type that as the monthly CtB comic by them has been stellar up to this point.
Titan Comics has turned The Savage Sword of Conan into Everybody Loves Raymond. The smart, no non-sense woman always saving and out-smarting the big, weak, dumb man. What a tremendous disappointment.
Damn, I feel your frustration, Steve and I haven't even picked up my copy yet. I was afraid that Titan would bail on this title after the initial excitement had abated, and judging from what you've shown here, they have. I'll buy the first issue, but I won't continue buying it. I'll protest by withholding my hard-earned money. Thanks for the video! Good rant. 💯
That was a great vid. Thanks so much. As titan is reprinting barbarian and savage sword omnibuses, I’m curious to know your opinion on which ones are worth picking up. Also if there are any red Sonja books worth getting. Thanks in advance 💪🍻
I got a copy of “Red Comet” from my local bookstore today. Would you ever do a literary biography starter kit? Based on your video I might try “City Poet” on Frank O’Hara
printed way too dark.(The Zircher story looks good because of his traditional art style.) The production dept needs to adjust those black levels before printing. Any printing will print a bit darker than the original scans. Ive been publishing comics for 40 years....B/W adjusting is a must...
This was a great, epic, LWTH ("Literally Worse Than Hitler") rant. Eleven out of ten. That Map of The Hyborian Age looks like that ridiculously small horse went and pissed on it...
I would like to know what is your opinion of SSOC #2. I personally didn't like the artwork of the Conan story. The Conan story also suffers from a lack of backgrounds in many panels not unlike SSOC 1.
Well, we'll never know my opinion of SSOC #2, since I'll never read it! If there's one thing I've learned about the modern comic industry, it's: stop giving money to people who hate me in the hopes that someday they'll stop hating me.
The beauty is that I can always circle back to OG SSOC 1974 in omnibus or physical copies for a reasonable price. I am supporting TC’s endeavours for now- because I thirst for this genre in comic form. And by Crom! I will continue to do so. ( but TC Editing crew better get their s$&t together…)
I agree on every point, except that I had already realized the misinterpretation of the character in Jim Zubb's previous outings. Try the Cimmerian from Ablaze .
So many things with the Conan story are just off for me. Mainly its the "dragons" which are in fact dinosaurs. Neither of which belong in Conans world/time. The elephants and dinosaurs look like they were cut out of a magazine and pasted on to the page. I think Conan looks great himself as does most of the artwork here which makes some of the artistic choices frustrating as does the printing. Lets hope Titan take this on board and make some improvements. They've proved they can get it right with the colour comic after all.
@@ottohoulihan2743 yeah that’s pretty hokey tbf. A little too cartoonish. Maybe it could have been done effectively another way, but it seems by this review at least that the people in charge of this really had no idea of who Conan is as a character and how his world works.
I wonder if AI will ever be able to tell a good story, with cohesive dialogue, and draw facial expressions that aren't straight from the uncanny valley.
I believe that’s a catapult not a trebuchet used against the city. All trebuchets are catapults, but not all catapults are trebuchets. I don’t see a counterweight so conclude it’s a catapult. Agree the mag’s map sucks and art/storyline are technically incompetent.
😂 this analogy is so funny I had to subscribe. I agree some things may seem like an act of turpitude to the buyer. but we can't act like women haven't saved Conan or even thought for Conan.
Both of Dynamite's recent Tatzan series were Woke, especially the last one. The thing was, the art was very good, and it was endorsed by the ERB Society. Dan Jurgens, who was the artist for Warlord back in the day, wrote it. I dont know if it was Jurgens' idea or not, but they changed Tarzan's backstory to modernize it, and ignored the events in Tarzan's Quest.
Steve, I have just discovered your UA-cam channel. I am interested to learn more about you personally. Is there a video you can point to that will give me a good picture of you personally, your background, your passions, etc ? Are you a writer, perchance ?
Interesting points and commentary. Though I think it's overly simplistic to explain some of the issues by pinning them on supposed ideologues inside the company when most of the decisions and approvals within any company always come from higher ups. The problems would come from the boss, not some rogue employees who exert no true control over the product. Regarding the printing, for me this was the first, most glaring, and most important issue that needs fixing. The art is functional and certainly not as lazy as assumptions can make it out to be.
I liked this story, but your comment of "averting the male gaze" suddenly made me think about how weird the woman engineer looks in the face. The other reason could be that you mention it's possibly ai generated.
Seek help. Disliking people like you does not mean someone is right wing. You all sound like parrots who've learned 5 phrases and repeat them endlessly
I appreciate the kind words about my Solomon Kane essay. I also think Patch did a great job of capturing SK's character, particularly a young SK. I'm sorry you weren't happy with some of the rest of the issue. Hopefully that will change with issue 2 if you give it a chance. Thanks for your insightful feedback -- it is very much appreciated
Timothy Truman & Tomás Giorello, Roy Tomas & Roberto De Lá Torre são as duplas perfeitas para produzir histórias na Savage Sword of Conan Titan Comics
Yes Patch is doing great work! I think issue 2 was a huge improvement. I liked a lot of Richard Pace's artwork but there's no denying some of it wasnt as good. With Gary Nord on issue 3 I think it should be really picking up steam, and issue 4 is gonna be the one that does it. I love that they're giving different artists and writers a chance.
Great review Steve! I bought my issue of SS#1 today and it's literally sitting next to me unread as I watch your review. That's massively depressing (the main story. Not your review!). I did see the quality of the B/W production in the digital copy is stellar. Unfortunately, digital printing can't fix artistic errors
Thanks Steve for being direct and unequivocal about the whole thing. The same views you expressed right now apply to movies, too. Take Matrix Resurrection movie for instance. Starting from 2014 comics and movies turned into my biggest disappointment. I May be wrong. My colleagues think I am old fashioned and a fossilized creature. I tell them I an a Kryptonian ,meaning I feel like an outsider. Thanks for your patience
This is one of best reviews I've seen, and you perfectly articulated the issues with modern comics and the damage the alt-left has done to pop culture in general. Subbed, keep up the great work. (I'll be chipping through all your other videos in the coming weeks.)
Certainly a less than perfect print result. I find that I'm not too bothered by it. Could be that I spent a lot of time with the digital version before getting the print version...maybe my mind fills in the quality gaps. Definitely valid observations regarding the comic industry. And while I think it's worthwhile to be aware of (and to be able to call out) the 'successor ideology', we also need to be able to reign in our own quixotic impulses lest we see the bogeyman everywhere. I'm not convinced of an ideological drive on Arcudi's part...or if he's been influenced editorially. That said, vigilance is worthwhile. As is discussion of the topic. 👍🙏
Maybe it's just simply bad writing/art? I've read the Solomon Kane story and Jim's short story 3 or 4 times now and enjoyed them as much each time. Same with Titans colour title. Once was enough for the dragon horde. And having been a Howard fan for 35+ years now I think I know what's right and wrong for me in a comic. Just look at how well Jim Zub wrote Brissa saving Conan and their relationship afterwards.
@@ottohoulihan2743 Yup. I did like the story enough and I read it a few times. And I thought the art was great. But it's definitely just a mid-level romp. (I've read much worse.) With a few tweaks writing-wise it could've been great. It is what it is (as they say.)
That's disappointing.
Would it be possible to send you a copy of our adaptation of Robert E Howards - The Shadow Kingdom which is Kull's first story. Once we go to print. Its currently in crowdfunding
Pretty sad, but on the bonus side the Robert E Howard Foundation is bringing out some fantastic hardback editions of story collections and Howard character series, as well as letters and collected poetry. Perhaps the comics industry is no longer the place to find heroic fantasy or historical adventure.
Is there a website to find these on?
Not the corporate mainstream. You can find plenty of heroic comics in comicsgate and other indie spheres. If you can stomach the youtuber drama, or if you can't - ignore it.
Man this needed to be said! Thank you Sir! Everyone is complaining on UA-cam about the print quality but nearly completely missing the mark on the ideology driven story that turns the "Hero's Journey" on its head! You are right, we cant allow this crap to creep into our favorite barbarians book. Stay vigilant!
Just wanted to make another minor correction on "O" vs "Oh." You are right that "O" is more grammatically correct as it's being used in the vocative case, however, Howard uses "Oh" in the final draft of his typescript and that's what was used in the original publication in Weird Tales. The correction to "O" what is likely made by de Camp. Since the publication of the authoritative Howard versions of the texts in the Del Rey/Wandering Star editions it has been changed back to Howard's original "Oh." There is still inconsistency, but this is why there is confusion.
But Titan's Conan the barbarian uses the "O" ??
@@ottohoulihan2743 Titan has been unknowingly inconsistent and used both, because of the confusion. That's going to change going forward as there was just an internal discussion about this. I'll have a write up about it in an upcoming issue of CtB.
@@AnAgeUndreamedOf Sounds pedantic to anyone reading this I suppose...but such is the need from Howard fans to keep things as close to the original source as possible 👍
I was working hard, listening to this in the background until i heard "Conan felt terror" ...OH, HELL NO!!!
I agree on the 1st issue of Savage Sword. I walked away from Marvel and DC years ago due to the same reasons you pointed out here. I currently only get a handful of comics, which I'm much more careful with collecting as I have gotten past the "look the other way" and "just give them one more chance" side of myself, and now will drop them in a heartbeat if I feel they are falling into the trap. With that said, I'll give SSoC 3 issues to prove to me that this first issue was simply a mistake and that Titan can be trusted to do the Conan property justice. It's sad that I just had to type that as the monthly CtB comic by them has been stellar up to this point.
Titan Comics has turned The Savage Sword of Conan into Everybody Loves Raymond. The smart, no non-sense woman always saving and out-smarting the big, weak, dumb man. What a tremendous disappointment.
Thanks for the ranty review!
Damn, I feel your frustration, Steve and I haven't even picked up my copy yet. I was afraid that Titan would bail on this title after the initial excitement had abated, and judging from what you've shown here, they have. I'll buy the first issue, but I won't continue buying it. I'll protest by withholding my hard-earned money. Thanks for the video! Good rant. 💯
Well shoot. Now I'm confident I could make my own comic.
That was a great vid. Thanks so much. As titan is reprinting barbarian and savage sword omnibuses, I’m curious to know your opinion on which ones are worth picking up. Also if there are any red Sonja books worth getting. Thanks in advance 💪🍻
What would you recommend reading of the Conan comics? I'm a huge fan of REH, but new to comics.
I'd recommend the first 50 issues of the old Marvel Comics Conan the Barbarian run from the '70s
Been reading Conan stories for around 54 years. I can never get enough Conan!😁
Great video, Steve. BTW, the digital edition of Savage Sword looks terrific! I hope Titan corrects this printing error in the future.
Hey Steve, have you done a review of the Conan run by kurt busiek? Originally published by dark horse.
I haven't done a review, but I've certainly sung the praises of that whole run every time it comes up! Absolutely superb!
I got a copy of “Red Comet” from my local bookstore today. Would you ever do a literary biography starter kit? Based on your video I might try “City Poet” on Frank O’Hara
printed way too dark.(The Zircher story looks good because of his traditional art style.) The production dept needs to adjust those black levels before printing. Any printing will print a bit darker than the original scans. Ive been publishing comics for 40 years....B/W adjusting is a must...
This was a great, epic, LWTH ("Literally Worse Than Hitler") rant. Eleven out of ten. That Map of The Hyborian Age looks like that ridiculously small horse went and pissed on it...
I would like to know what is your opinion of SSOC #2. I personally didn't like the artwork of the Conan story. The Conan story also suffers from a lack of backgrounds in many panels not unlike SSOC 1.
Well, we'll never know my opinion of SSOC #2, since I'll never read it! If there's one thing I've learned about the modern comic industry, it's: stop giving money to people who hate me in the hopes that someday they'll stop hating me.
Just read issue #2 and it was much better, almost read like a response to how awful this one was.
I'll have to take your word for it, since I won't be reading the issue myself! So who saves Conan in this issue?
@@saintdonoghueJim Zub who comes in to write it is who! 😂
The beauty is that I can always circle back to OG SSOC 1974 in omnibus or physical copies for a reasonable price. I am supporting TC’s endeavours for now- because I thirst for this genre in comic form. And by Crom! I will continue to do so. ( but TC Editing crew better get their s$&t together…)
I agree on every point, except that I had already realized the misinterpretation of the character in Jim Zubb's previous outings. Try the Cimmerian from Ablaze .
Keeping in mind here that I never faulted Zubb's interpretation of the character - he's one of the only people in this video I praise!
So many things with the Conan story are just off for me. Mainly its the "dragons" which are in fact dinosaurs. Neither of which belong in Conans world/time. The elephants and dinosaurs look like they were cut out of a magazine and pasted on to the page. I think Conan looks great himself as does most of the artwork here which makes some of the artistic choices frustrating as does the printing. Lets hope Titan take this on board and make some improvements. They've proved they can get it right with the colour comic after all.
There is a dragon/ dinosaur creature in the R. E. Howard Conan story "Red Nails". That's probably what inspired them.
@@electricchurchrevivalmusic Yeh I realised that a week or so later! Fair enough, but there's no denying the T- rex type thing looked awful.
@@ottohoulihan2743 yeah that’s pretty hokey tbf. A little too cartoonish. Maybe it could have been done effectively another way, but it seems by this review at least that the people in charge of this really had no idea of who Conan is as a character and how his world works.
I wonder if AI will ever be able to tell a good story, with cohesive dialogue, and draw facial expressions that aren't straight from the uncanny valley.
I believe that’s a catapult not a trebuchet used against the city. All trebuchets are catapults, but not all catapults are trebuchets. I don’t see a counterweight so conclude it’s a catapult. Agree the mag’s map sucks and art/storyline are technically incompetent.
😂 this analogy is so funny I had to subscribe. I agree some things may seem like an act of turpitude to the buyer. but we can't act like women haven't saved Conan or even thought for Conan.
Both of Dynamite's recent Tatzan series were Woke, especially the last one. The thing was, the art was very good, and it was endorsed by the ERB Society. Dan Jurgens, who was the artist for Warlord back in the day, wrote it. I dont know if it was Jurgens' idea or not, but they changed Tarzan's backstory to modernize it, and ignored the events in Tarzan's Quest.
lol fantastic. Your review, not the book obviously. Looking forward to reading it now!
Oh my goodness, that horse is tiny.
That is grim.
Steve, I have just discovered your UA-cam channel. I am interested to learn more about you personally. Is there a video you can point to that will give me a good picture of you personally, your background, your passions, etc ? Are you a writer, perchance ?
Interesting points and commentary.
Though I think it's overly simplistic to explain some of the issues by pinning them on supposed ideologues inside the company when most of the decisions and approvals within any company always come from higher ups. The problems would come from the boss, not some rogue employees who exert no true control over the product. Regarding the printing, for me this was the first, most glaring, and most important issue that needs fixing. The art is functional and certainly not as lazy as assumptions can make it out to be.
The art for the Conan story you showed looks like Mike Janins atrocious barbydoll, digital garbage.
I liked this story, but your comment of "averting the male gaze" suddenly made me think about how weird the woman engineer looks in the face. The other reason could be that you mention it's possibly ai generated.
I wanted to watch a review of this comic and ended up hearing a right-wing rant instead.
Geez.
Maybe consult a neurologist about these things you're hearing? This was not a right-wing rant.
Seek help. Disliking people like you does not mean someone is right wing. You all sound like parrots who've learned 5 phrases and repeat them endlessly
Wow, you really hated this comic 😂