Conan the Gambler

“The Savage Sword of Conan” used to be the prestige monthly Conan title from Marvel Comics.

In the Conan/Marvel heyday of the 1970s and early ’80s, “Conan the Barbarian” was the flagship Conan comic printed in color, standard comic book length, skirting but mostly following the rules of the Comics Code Authority. “Barbarian” presented Conan’s life and career in chronological order.

“Savage Sword” was a magazine format comic in black and white, filled with more viscera and less clothing. The art and stories were a few grades more intricate. It had double or more pages than the standard monthly comic book. “Savage Sword” might present a story from Conan’s youth one issue as an aging king the next and as a middle-aged pirate the next.

In the past year or so, Marvel has again acquired the comic book rights to Conan. And Marvel has revived both titles: “Conan the Barbarian” and “The Savage Sword of Conan.”

Both books are cut from mostly the same cloth. They are both in color. They both have about the same number of pages per issue. One does not seem any more violent than the other.

The new “Barbarian” follows an ongoing storyline by writer Jason Aaron, though a storyline that jumps to different points in Conan’s life.

The new “Savage Sword” presents story arcs that are not connected to one another. 

“The Savage Sword of Conan: Conan the Gambler” is the second trade paperback collection of the monthly comic. It features three story arcs, including the three-issue “Conan the Gambler” storyline.

“Gambler” presents a new concept for Conan as he plays a high-stakes game in the Hyperborian equivalent of a casino.

The collection also includes a two-issue story arc written by Roy Thomas, the man who wrote all of the Conan stories and adaptations for Marvel throughout the 1970s into the ’80s.

The new “Savage Sword” doesn’t have the same thrill as the earlier version but it does continue finding great ways to show and tell great Conan stories.