Conan (Titan Comics)

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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]

Contents

Publications

Conan the Barbarian

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, and started with Rob De La Torre and Doug Braithwaite as artists alternating between story arcs. [3] Danica Brine served as guest artist for two issues during the fifth story arc, [4] and Fernando Dagnino joined the artist rotation for the sixth arc, starting with issue #21. [5] For the milestone issue #25, Alex Horley will draw and paint an oversized King Conan story. [6]

The Savage Sword of Conan

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. [7] Titan Comics initially committed to six issues, [8] but announced at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con that the series would be extended to a second year [9] , and in 2025 it was further extended to a third year. [6]

Howardverse crossovers

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone was a crossover event with Conan and other Robert E. Howard characters, namely Solomon Kane, Dark Agnes, James Allison, El Borak and Conrad and Kirowan. It started with a Free Comic Book Day issue in May 2024, written by Jim Zub and art by Jonas Scharf. [10] [11] This was followed by a collection of short stories in The Savage Sword of Conan #4 and a mini-series titled Conan: Battle of the Black Stone published from September to December 2024. [12]

A second crossover event titled Conan: Scourge of the Serpent, written by Jim Zub with art by Ivan Gil, has been announced for 2025. The event started with a Free Comic Book Day issue in May 2025 and will be followed by a mini-series series later in 2025. [13] The story features various Howardian characters and takes place in three different times that are "metaphysically linked": the Thurian age with Kull, the Hyborian age with Conan and the twentieth century with John Kirowan. [14]

Solomon Kane

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 four-issue mini series titled Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring, written and drawn by Zircher and published in 2025. [15] The story takes place in the 16th century in southern Europe and Africa and features the ancient "Serpent Ring" from Thoth-Amon (which is also featured in the Robert E: Howard stories The Phoenix on the Sword and The Haunter of the Ring which take place during the Hyborian age and in the 1930s, respectively). [16]

Due to the success of the first Solomon Kane comic series, a second series has been announced at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con. [6]

Kull of Atlantis

A comic series centering on Kull of Atlantis has been announced at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con, and is expected to be published in 2027. [6]

Ongoing series

TitleIssuesWriter(s)Artist(s)Colourist(s)Debut dateConclusion date
Conan the Barbarian [3] 1– Jim Zub Rob De La Torre
Doug Braithwaite
Danica Brine
Fernando Dagnino
Alex Horley
Dean White
Diego Rodriguez
José Villarrubia
Jão Canola
August 2, 2023TBA

Limited series

TitleIssuesWriter(s)Artist(s)Colourist(s)Debut dateConclusion date
The Savage Sword of Conan [7] 1–18various (anthology format)variousn/a (black and white)February 28, 2024TBA
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone [10] 1–4Jim ZubJonas ScharfJão CanolaSeptember 4, 2024December 4, 2024
Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring [15] 1–4 Patrick Zircher March 26, 2025July 9, 2025
Conan: Scourge of the Serpent1–4Jim ZubIvan GilJão CanolaSeptember 24, 2025TBA

One-shots

TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Colourist(s)Release date
Free Comic Book Day 2023: Conan the Barbarian [3] Jim ZubRob De La TorreJosé VillarrubiaMay 6, 2023
Free Comic Book Day 2024: Conan: Battle of the Black Stone [10] Jonas ScharfJão CanolaMay 4, 2024
Free Comic Book Day 2025: Conan: Scourge of the Serpent [17] Ivan GilJão CanolaMay 3, 2025
Conan the Barbarian: Eastern Horizons [18] Walt Simonson Jerry MaMay 21, 2025 (digital only)

Collected editions

Trade paperbacks

VolumeTitleCollectsPagesRelease DateISBN
Conan the Barbarian
1Conan the Barbarian, Volume 1: Bound in Black StoneFree Comic Book Day 2023: Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian #1–4
128February 13, 2024 ISBN   978-1-78774-014-3
2Conan the Barbarian, Volume 2: Thrice Marked for DeathConan the Barbarian #5–8112July 16, 2024 ISBN   978-1-78774-015-0
3Conan the Barbarian, Volume 3: The Age UnconqueredConan the Barbarian #9–12112November 19, 2024 ISBN   978-1-78774-016-7
4Conan the Barbarian, Volume 4: Frozen FaithConan the Barbarian #13–16112March 11, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-325-0
5Conan the Barbarian, Volume 5: Twisting LoyaltiesConan the Barbarian #17–20112August 12, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-326-7
6Conan the Barbarian, Volume 6: A Nest of SerpentsConan the Barbarian #21–24112January 6, 2026 ISBN   978-1-78774-327-4
7Conan the Barbarian, Volume 7: The Conquering CrownConan the Barbarian #25–28112May 12, 2026 ISBN   978-1-78774-608-4
The Savage Sword of Conan
1The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1The Savage Sword of Conan #1–3208January 21, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-431-8
2The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 2The Savage Sword of Conan #4–6208June 17, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-433-2
3The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 3The Savage Sword of Conan #7–9192October 7, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-493-6
4The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 4The Savage Sword of Conan #10–12208April 7, 2026 ISBN   978-1-78774-495-0
Howardverse crossovers
Conan: Battle of the Black StoneFree Comic Book Day 2024: Conan: Battle of the Black Stone
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1–4
128April 1, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-328-1
Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane: The Serpent RingSolomon Kane: The Serpent Ring #1–4112October 28, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-642-8

Hardcover

VolumeTitleCollectsPagesRelease DateISBN
1Conan the Barbarian, Volume 1: Bound in Black Stone Deluxe EditionFree Comic Book Day 2023: Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian #1–4
144September 16, 2025 ISBN   978-1-78774-837-8

Reception

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeComic(s)ResultRef.
2024 Eisner Awards Best ColoringDean WhiteConan the BarbarianNominated [19]
Best Lettering Richard Starkings Nominated
Tripwire AwardsBest New SeriesWon [20]
Best WriterJim ZubWon
Best Cover Artist Dan Panosian Won
2025 Ringo Awards Best AnthologyThe Savage Sword of ConanPending [21]

See also

References

  1. "'Conan the Barbarian' comics heading to Titan May 2023". aiptcomics.com. 2022-06-21.
  2. "Robert E Howard's Howardverse Launches For Conan Free Comic Book Day". bleedingcool.com. 2024-04-30.
  3. 1 2 3 "SDCC 2023: Jim Zub on giving 'Conan The Barbarian' back its edge". aiptcomics.com. 2023-07-24.
  4. "Zubby Newsletter #92: A Decadent Dance". jimzub.substack.com. 2024-12-09.
  5. "FIRST LOOK: Conan the Barbarian #21". majorspoilers.com. 2025-05-01.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Heroic Signatures at SDCC 2025: Major Announcements from the Age of High Adventure Panel". conan.com. 2025-07-26.
  7. 1 2 "The Savage Sword of Conan Announced: "Gritty and Gruesome"". comicbook.com. 2023-07-23.
  8. "Zubby Newsletter #47: Savage Stirrings". jimzub.com. 2024-01-29.
  9. "Zub Newsletter #73: Mid-Marathon". jimzub.com. 2024-07-29.
  10. 1 2 3 "Zubby Newsletter #35: A Brutal Battle Looms". jimzub.substack.com. 2023-11-11.
  11. "Conan's Black Stone Event Crosses Over With All Of Robert E Howard". bleedingcool.com. 2024-04-21.
  12. "EXCLUSIVE: Conan the Barbarian Steals the Show in New Series Preview". cbr.com. 2024-06-17.
  13. "Zubby Newsletter #90: A Scourge in the Works". jimzub.com. 2024-11-23.
  14. "Free Comic Book Day 2025: Everything to Know About Scourge of the Serpent". conan.com. 2025-04-24.
  15. 1 2 "Solomon Kane Returns To Comics In 'Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring' From Titan Comics". comicon.com. 2024-11-20.
  16. "A Talk with Patch Zircher on Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring". heroicsignatures.com. 2025-04-24.
  17. "FCBD 2025 CONAN THE BARBARIAN (MR)". freecomicbookday.com.
  18. "EXCLUSIVE SCOOP: Walt Simonson is returning to Conan the Barbarian". aiptcomics.com. 2025-03-13.
  19. "Nightwing, Transformers and More: 2024 Eisner Award Nominees Revealed". ign.com. 2024-05-16.
  20. "Tripwire Awards 2024: All The Nominees And All The Winners". comicon.com. 2024-10-25.
  21. "The Nominees For the 2025 Ringo Awards Announced". comic-watch.com. 2025-08-22.