Conan (Titan Comics)
Comics featuring Conan the Barbarian and other characters by Robert E. Howard are currently published by Titan Comics, together with entertainment studio Heroic Signatures. Their collaboration to publish comics, graphic novels, and omnibus collections of older Conan comics started in 2023, after Marvel lost the license in 2022. The first ongoing series is Conan the Barbarian which started in August 2023.[1] With crossover events and spin-off mini-series featuring other Robert E. Howard characters, such as Kull of Atlantis or Solomon Kane, they created a shared universe which is sometimes called the Howardverse.[2]
Publications
[edit]Conan the Barbarian
[edit]The first ongoing series Conan the Barbarian was introduced during Free Comic Book Day 2023 with an in issue that served as a prologue, followed by an ongoing series that started in August 2023. The series is written by Jim Zub, with Rob De La Torre and Doug Braithwaite as artists alternating between story arcs.[3] Danica Brine replaced De La Torre as artist for the fifth story arc.[4]
The Savage Sword of Conan
[edit]The Savage Sword of Conan was announced in July 2023 as a limited series, to be published in black-and-white and magazine-sized format. The first issue was released in February 2024 with issues published every two months. Each issue features comics, prose stories, poems, and art pages, starring Conan as well as other characters by Robert E. Howard.[5] Titan Comics initially committed to six issues,[6] but announced at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con that the series would be extended to a second year.[7]
Battle of the Black Stone
[edit]Battle of the Black Stone was a cross-over event with other Robert E. Howard characters, which started with a Free Comic Book Day issue in May 2024, written by Jim Zub and art by Jonas Scharf.[8][9] This was followed by a collection of short stories in The Savage Sword of Conan #4 and a mini-series titled Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone published from September to December 2024.[10]
Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring
[edit]After positive responses to a serialized Solomon Kane back-up story by Patrick Zircher in the first three issues of The Savage Sword of Conan, Heroic Signatures greenlit a Solomon Kane mini-series entitled The Serpent Ring, to be written and drawn by Zircher. Publication will start in March 2025[11]
Ongoing series
[edit]| Title | Issues | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colourist(s) | Debut date | Conclusion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conan the Barbarian[3] | 1– | Jim Zub | Rob De La Torre Doug Braithwaite Danica Brine |
Dean White Diego Rodriguez José Villarrubia João Canola |
August 2, 2023 | TBA |
Limited series
[edit]| Title | Issues | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colourist(s) | Debut date | Conclusion date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Savage Sword of Conan[5] | 1–12 | various (anthology format) | various | n/a (black and white) | February 28, 2024 | TBA |
| Conan: Battle of the Black Stone[8] | 1–4 | Jim Zub | Jonas Scharf | João Canola | September 4, 2024 | December 4, 2024 |
| Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring[11] | 1–4 | Patrick Zircher | March 26, 2025 | TBA | ||
One-shots
[edit]| Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colourist(s) | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Comic Book Day 2023: Conan the Barbarian[3] | Jim Zub | Rob De La Torre | José Villarrubia | May 6, 2023 |
| Free Comic Book Day 2024: Conan – Battle of the Black Stone[8] | Jonas Scharf | João Canola | May 4, 2024 | |
| Free Comic Book Day 2025: Conan – Scourge of the Serpent'[12] | Ivan Gil | tba | May 3, 2025 |
Collected editions
[edit]Trade paperbacks
[edit]| Volume | Title | Collects | Pages | Release Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conan the Barbarian | |||||
| 1 | Conan the Barbarian, Volume 1: Bound in Black Stone | Free Comic Book Day 2023: Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian #1–4 |
128 | February 13, 2024 | ISBN 978-1-78774-014-3 |
| 2 | Conan the Barbarian, Volume 2: Thrice Marked for Death | Conan the Barbarian #5–8 | 112 | July 16, 2024 | ISBN 978-1-78774-015-0 |
| 3 | Conan the Barbarian, Volume 3: The Age Unconquered | Conan the Barbarian #9–12 | 112 | November 19, 2024 | ISBN 978-1-78774-016-7 |
| 4 | Conan the Barbarian, Volume 4: Frozen Faith | Conan the Barbarian #13–16 | 112 | February 25, 2025 | ISBN 978-1-78774-325-0 |
| – | Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone | Free Comic Book Day 2024: Conan: Battle of the Black Stone Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #1–4 |
128 | April 1, 2025 | ISBN 978-1-78774-328-1 |
| 5 | Conan the Barbarian, Volume 5: Twisting Loyalties | Conan the Barbarian #17–20 | 112 | July 1, 2025 | ISBN 978-1-78774-326-7 |
| The Savage Sword of Conan | |||||
| 1 | The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1 | The Savage Sword of Conan #1–3 | 208 | January 14, 2025 | ISBN 978-1-78774-431-8 |
| 2 | The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 2 | The Savage Sword of Conan #4–6 | 208 | April 8, 2025 | ISBN 978-1-78774-433-2 |
Reception
[edit]Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Comic(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Eisner Awards | Best Coloring | Dean White | Conan the Barbarian | Nominated | [13] |
| Best Lettering | Richard Starkings | Nominated |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "'Conan the Barbarian' comics heading to Titan May 2023". aiptcomics.com. 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Robert E Howard's Howardverse Launches For Conan Free Comic Book Day". bleedingcool.com. 2024-04-30.
- ^ a b c "SDCC 2023: Jim Zub on giving 'Conan The Barbarian' back its edge". aiptcomics.com. 2023-07-24.
- ^ "Zubby Newsletter #92: A Decadent Dance". jimzub.substack.com. 2024-12-09.
- ^ a b "The Savage Sword of Conan Announced: "Gritty and Gruesome"". comicbook.com. 2023-07-23.
- ^ "Zubby Newsletter #47: Savage Stirrings". jimzub.com. 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Zub Newsletter #73: Mid-Marathon". jimzub.com. 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b c "Zubby Newsletter #35: A Brutal Battle Looms". jimzub.substack.com. 2023-11-11.
- ^ "Conan's Black Stone Event Crosses Over With All Of Robert E Howard". bleedingcool.com. 2024-04-21.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Conan the Barbarian Steals the Show in New Series Preview". cbr.com. 2024-06-17.
- ^ a b "Solomon Kane Returns To Comics In 'Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring' From Titan Comics". comicon.com. 2024-11-20.
- ^ "FCBD 2025 CONAN THE BARBARIAN (MR)". freecomicbookday.com.
- ^ "Nightwing, Transformers and More: 2024 Eisner Award Nominees Revealed". ign.com. 2024-05-16.