
Since Robert E. Howard first thundered onto the pulp magazine scene with Conan the Barbarian, the iron-fisted Cimmerian has towered over the realms of sword and sorcery like a blood-streaked colossus. Howard, the undisputed father of the genre, forged Conan in the pages of Weird Tales, a savage hero born of battle cries and black magic, where steel sang and kingdoms trembled. From those ink-stained origins, Conan strode across every medium imaginable, books, comics, and films like Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer and leaving a trail of broken blades and shattered thrones in his wake.
It was Frank Frazetta, with his primal, muscle-bound visions splashed across paperback covers, who truly breathed fire into the legend. His artwork didn’t just illustrate Conan, it resurrected him. Frazetta’s feral brushstrokes redefined the visual language of fantasy, igniting generations of artists to capture that same wild energy, where beauty and brutality locked arms in eternal struggle.
The first comic incarnation of the barbarian roared to life in 1952 in Mexico, before Marvel Comics seized the blade in 1970, unleashing a storm of savage adventure under the title Conan the Barbarian. Many have since dared to claim the mantle, but few have matched the raw fury that Titan Comics now channels. Their vision of Conan doesn’t sand down his edges, it sharpens them. This is Howard’s original warrior reborn: raw, ruthless, and unrepentantly masculine, before the word ever required qualification.
The series is penned by Jim Zub, a writer who clearly understands the pulse of Robert E. Howard’s savage world. Joining him are powerhouse artists Doug Braithwaite and Rob De La Torre, who alternate duties across the story arcs to keep the series visually fresh while maintaining a consistent tone. Both artists bring their own brand of fire to the page. Braithwaite delivers a crisp, cinematic polish, while De La Torre channels the raw, thunderous energy of John Buscema, echoing the glory days of Savage Sword of Conan. Fans of classic Conan will instantly recognize and celebrate that lineage.

For Conan the Barbarian to rise above the well-worn sword and sorcery tropes that have long flooded the genre, the writing must strike like a sharpened blade that is precise, powerful, and true. In this respect, Jim Zub proves himself a master craftsman, a literary sorcerer whose command of myth and might rivals the bards of old. He doesn’t merely write stories, he summons them, conjuring new realms of peril and glory from the mists of the Hyborian world.
Zub understands that Conan is not just a brute swinging a sword, he’s a man of iron will and dark wisdom, forged by battle and betrayal. With each tale, Zub weaves a spell of adventure and dread, of swashbuckling valor and lurking sorcery, that pulls readers into the heart of the storm. His words crackle with the energy of the pulp masters, yet feel fresh and alive, reminding us that there are still unexplored corners of this brutal, beautiful world.
In Titan’s new saga, the weary barbarian returns to his bleak Cimmerian homeland seeking rest, but peace is a fool’s dream in a world soaked with blood. A lone scout rides in from the west, bearing dire tidings: the Picts are on the move, a tide of savage fury marching toward Conan’s people. As the drums of war echo through the mountains, Conan must rise once more, sword in hand, to carve his destiny against an oncoming horde.
Visually, the series is a feast for the eyes with muscle, shadow, and steel colliding in every panel. Each page feels alive with the sound of clashing blades, the scent of blood and sweat, and the weight of ancient doom pressing in from the edges. This slipcase edition, collecting the first three issues, captures the essence of what makes Conan eternal: relentless action, grim determination, and a world that refuses to bend.
This is Conan the Barbarian as he was always meant to be told. Conan is fierce, unflinching, and drenched in the raw essence of the Hyborian Age. The storytelling strikes like a broadsword, relentless and unapologetic, cutting straight to the bone of what makes Conan an immortal icon. From the opening panel to the final splash page, the rhythm never slackens; it surges forward with the momentum of a charging warhorse.
Every page is a battleground for your senses, a storm of motion and menace where steel sings and blood glistens under the glare of an unforgiving sun. The colors burn with primal intensity, casting long shadows that seem to breathe, while the panel compositions evoke the grandeur of Frazetta’s canvases and the muscle-bound fury of Buscema’s art. The result is not just comic storytelling—it’s visual combat, where each frame feels alive with thunder and flame.
This is Conan reborn, grim yet magnificent, brutal yet beautiful. A saga that refuses to age, reminding us that in the world of sword and sorcery, legends never die; they only sharpen their blades.
About the Authors:
Jim Zubis is best known, apart from Conan, for Skullkickers, which launched in 2010 and ran for 33 issues. He is a writer, artist, and editor who got his break in 2001 with his first comic, Makeshit Miracle. He went on to write for IDW, Marvel and Cartoon Network and has written for Street Fighter, Samurai Jack, Thunderbolts, Uncanny Avengers, Dungeons and Dragons, Wolverine and created Wayward. In 2019, Zub wrote Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape, which was nominated for the 2022 Eisner ‘Best Graphic Album. Over his career, he has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Web Cartoonists’ Choice Award, Yalsa, Animex, and the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award for Outstanding Writer.
Roberto de la Torre is a Spanish artist who has drawn over 235 issues and has worked exclusively for Marvel, working on a variety of titles including Age of Apocalypse, Ms. Marvel, Iron Man and Thunderbolts and now, CONAN THE BARBARIAN.
Doug Braithwaite, hailing from the United Kingdom, is widely considered to be one of the true great comic book artists of the modern era. He started his career drawing Transformers for Marvel UK, before going on to work on Rogue Trooper and Judge Dredd for 2000AD, then on to draw Doom Patrol, Batman, The Flash, Green Arrow, and The Brave and the Bold for DC, before moving over to Marvel to draw The Punisher, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Secret Invasion. In 2011, Doug was one of 62 comic book creators to set two Guinness World Records – The Fastest Production of a Comic Book and the Most Contributors to a Comic Book.
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