A new monthly comic book series is bringing Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian back to fans of the fantasy character who has fought and conquered for 90 years–in the format most readers today know him from.  Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian will be written by long-time Conan comic book creator Jim Zub (Uncanny Avengers), with art by Roberto De La Torre (King-Size Conan) and colors by José Villarrubia (Promethea, Cuba: My Revolution).  Years after the battle of Venarium, a weary Conan returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude as a mysterious scout rides in to warn the Cimmerians of an imminent threat on the march from the Pictish wilderness.  Will Conan and his new ally be able to hold off this new horde of invaders?

Variant cover options will be available from the likes of Mike Mignola, Artgerm, Roberto De La Torre, Dan Panosian, and E.M. Gist.  Take a look at our preview of the covers, as well as a peek inside, the first issue of the new Conan the Barbarian:

This will be the art for a wraparound edition:

And here is some art from a few pages of the first issue:

Robert E. Howard’s fantasy hero Conan has taken many journeys, written by many people, but which is the “real” Conan, and which is your personal favorite?  Is it the virile Cimmerian of short stories in serialized pulp magazine tales written by Howard himself?  Where do you place Roy Thomas’s hero of even more decades of Conan the Barbarian comic book stories?  Do you consider Arnold Schwarzenegger as the definitive Conan, or the way he’s been drawn by painters and sketch artists?  Maybe Jason Momoa is your Conan.  As with Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Tarzan, and so many other fantasy characters, the stories have continued in the form of pastiches written by others, stories that try to perfectly emulate the original writer’s style.  Only last month we reviewed a new novel of Conan here at borg.

For fans of Conan in the comics, this looks like one you’ll want to add to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local shop.  Conan the Barbarian Issue #1 is slated to ship this coming July from Titan Comics.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg