Conan the Barbarian #197 – “Stand” – James Owsley/Val Semeiks/Geof Isherwood
This one starts where last issue left off, with the old dinosaur rampaging through the town in response to Freja’s stupid attack on it. When Conan returns (with Red Sonja), he’s ready to kill Freja but Shapur reminds him that they need Freja’s army to fight against the Kothian emperor. Conan does have Freja put in irons. At Conan’s camp, Bahkt (who has been given the power to consume souls by the Devourer) has slaughtered the entire camp, including Sonja’s Hyrkanians while looking for Conan. Kaleb, Anneka, and Kobe return and find Bahkt in Conan’s tent and end up fighting him. Bahkt’s new power makes him formidable, but Anneka uses
the magic staff to injure him and he flees, vowing to return for Conan. Speaking of the Cimmerian, he’s leading the dinosaur away from the village so he can trap it in a cave and let it die in peace. That’s not good enough for Freja, who rouses the villagers into a mob and leads them along the beast’s trail to destroy it … and Conan if he tries to stop them. Meanwhile, the Devourer of Souls calls Sedrick (the cat that has been imbued with the power of the Elder Gods) to him so he can get Solaise to follow. As the mob approaches the cave, Bahkt grabs Red Sonja to use as bait for Conan. Freja tells Conan they’ve come to slay the beast, but he won’t let them pass and gets some help from his friends (Kaleb, Simeon, Kobe, Shapur, Anneka, and even Keiv). Keiv talks Freja out 
of attacking and the mob disperses. They realize the dinosaur is already dead, having expired in the cave, but Simeon figures Conan saw a kindred spirit in the beast. Out in the forest, when Solaise finds the Devourer, he offers to serve her, while Bahkt gets away with the unconscious Sonja. This is a pretty good issue, though I really wish they’d wrap up this storyline. I’m sick of seeing the Devourer act like he’s all-powerful even though he accomplishes nothing. I find it hard to believe Bahkt could best Sonja so easily, but I guess he does have eldritch powers.
Conan the Barbarian #198 – “The River” – James Owsley/Val Semeiks/Geof Isherwood
This one starts with Conan and his entourage finding Red Sonja half dead in a clearing. They take her back to camp where she reveals it was Bahkt who did this to her. Despite Bahkt having demonic power now, Conan is determined to go after him alone. The trail is easy to follow and Conan realizes it’s a trap, but he walks into it willingly. Meanwhile, Freja is still seething at the way he’s been treated lately, so he has his soldiers surround Conan’s camp and take all his friends into custody. In the
forest, Bahkt jumps Conan and they fight, but the demon flees, leading Conan deeper into the forest where a voice beckons to him. Conan sees visions of himself and Sonja a few days ago and the Voice taunts him, suggesting that his motivation for finding Sonja and avenging her injuries are actually rather selfish. Conan finds a river of blood from which a vision of the Devourer of Souls rises with Solaise in his arms. While Conan tries to puzzle out the truth of this vision, Bahkt jumps him and they fight, with Conan coming out triumphant. Back at camp, Freja uses Solaise as a hostage to keep the others in line, but when he orders her cat killed, Solaise shows her true power and sends forth a wave of 
energy that kills Freja and all his men while sparing everyone else. Conan returns and admits to Sonja that he does care for her, then he goes out to confront Solaise about what he’s learned of her power. But Kaleb intervenes, telling Conan he’ll have to kill him to get to Solaise. This is an all right issue, but I’m really sick of these characters and all the mysterious bullshit surrounding them. Red Sonja may as well not even be here for all she gets to do, and the thing with Solaise is just getting tedious. I did find it interesting that Anneka tended to Sonja without showing any jealousy about her past with Conan; Anneka’s a more mature character than most.