"Robert E. Howard's legendary Conan is back in a new tale of bravery and heroism! Years after the battle of Venarium, a weary Conan returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude. However, 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? This digital exclusive edition contains content not available in the print or regular digital edition, and is exclusive to Kindle."
Jim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past fifteen years he’s worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Capcom, Hasbro, Bandai-Namco and Mattel.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
This is a new tale, but Conan still seems the same old Conan. The artwork is superb and reminds me of the original works of art, the colorized versions and the Savage Sword of Conan that was published during the 80's.
Yes, been reading Conan since then.
To all the Conan fans out there, you have to read this series.
This. This is the best Conan comic we've had in a very long time. Everything was spot on about it. The writing, the art, the overall Roy Thomas vibe. Reminded me deeply of well-beloved Savage Sword days gone by stories that I still go back to. Jim Zub nailed it and Delatore just brought it amazingly to life. So what is best??? This is.
Though I am not well-versed in the lore of the Hyborian Age, I am familiar with the novels (which I plan on reading soon) and have seen all the films several times. I must say this seems like standard Conan fare, which is exactly what I wanted...except it's Conan + zombies!!??? Interested to see where this thing goes...
Jim has come out of the gates with a great start, capturing the essence of Conan. Many pastiches just don't hit the mark, but this feels like Conan from the very start. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes!
Un comienzo muy prometedor. Los guiones siguen la fórmula de Roy Thomas y el arte es una puesta al día del emblemático John Buscema. Espectacular y directo como una espada silbando durante el combate.
Keeping up with old lore and still making something original, this time taking a jab at a concept already explored in REH's "The Black Colossus"- Conan VS an army. Back then it was an undead wizard commanding, in this new tale its an undead army.
So Conan's a merc again after a few years, "good stablishing shot" of his atitudes towards authority. The issue eases you into the setting very smoothly, and the introduction of the pictish woman is very organic. Shit turns south in seconds and bam, zombie invasion. This arch has more a horror vibe to it, REH's best works also had horror elements.
Not much to say in this chapter, but the action is pretty good, there's a sense of flow. We stalish a new friend for Conan and his new mission, to stop this evil horde.
Not the deepest issue, or the most interesting one, but it works great for an introduction. The time skip made me sad tho, I wasn't expecting them to skip so many adventures, but I do like this new direction they are taking it.
4/5- its worth it, and its a great show of how to go from one story (mercenary conan) to the next (zombie killer conan)
This reminded me of a classic Conan comic from Marvel, except it’s from Titan! Even the credits at the start of the book are in the old Stan Lee style and made me smile like I was a teenager again.
The story, art and colours are all first rate and I can’t wait to read the next issue!
Okay okay okay. Yes. You are right. This isn't something I would normally read. I've never touched a Conan book until now. Am I into fantasy? Yes. Did I watch Xena as a kid? Yes. These are the reasons I checked this out. And I gotta be honest, I had fun. I had a damn fun time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book by Zub. Its the Conan I grew up with. Kicking tail and taking no nonsense from anyone. But at the same time... still honors he faces this new, seemingly impossible threat.
Conan is the best character of all time, and Robert E. Howard is the best writer. Many writers have tried to copy his style or succeed him, and all have failed. Roy Thomas is the closest I've seen because he is adapting from him, so even then it isn't even the same medium, as he did comics. Scott Oden's prose is pretty close. But decades after the original Conan and Savage Sword of Conan comics, here we are with a returning writer and new artist for the main centerpiece of Heroic Signatures. Many artists and writers have come and gone. All Conan's original stories have been adapted multiple times into comic form. But NOT all of Conan's stories have been written. Even his death is still a mystery, and for good reason. It lends to his timelessness and gives fuel to the imagination as to the infinite possibilities for adventures he may have had. Ol' Zub wants to explore the best of both worlds. Without directly adapting previous stories, he wants to delve into what may have happened in and around those stories while still remaining new and fresh. And he brings along with him the outstanding Roberto De La Torre ("of the Tower") which may have been one of the most important decisions made for Conan's present and future.
The character will never die, not forever, and we will never let him go. Robert E. Howard's unfortunate suicide means he never got to finish his vision for the character, assuming he would have ever written an end if he had survived. But bringing in artists with the power of Buscema and Frazetta, with writer Zub who deeply respects the source material and afterward, it just brings so much joy to a longtime Conan fan to see the many worlds of past and present collide like God fusing diamonds and rainbows and candy into this brilliant kaleidoscopic feast for your senses. We've seen so many takes on the character, and most are pretty great, but there's a wide ravine separating them from this. This is drawing a line in the sand, dropping a huge banner in the dirt and saying "this is the new standard for Conan!" and quite frankly I'm hoping the comic interest becomes big enough that studios finally buck up and take on the world properly. Embrace the toxic masculinity of Conan. He is a bastard and a wicked man, but also a hero, and genuinely quite respectful of women and people of color, despite the time in which the original books were written. In any case, I'll sign off here but go and read it for yourself! I look forward to years of the rest.
First time ever putting a Conan comic series on my pull list, and I have to say I don't regret the choice. This first issue was quite strong. Jim Zub, no stranger to writing Conan the Barbarian following his time at Marvel, picks up the threads of a new story. Here, Conan encounters the Army of the Lost, a supernatural force that devastates any opponent it faces. Problem is, they're now in Cimmeria and Conan must intervene. Story wise, there wasn't anything all that innovative going on here, but Zub does a great job honing down the script to keep the dialogue aligned to Robert E. Howard's prose style.
I was very impressed with Roberto De La Torre's artwork which felt like a nice blend between John Buscema's iconic style and something a fair bit more modern. Perhaps it's the nice color undertones by Jose Villarrubia that made it all come together nicely, but the new Conan the Barbarian #1 feels wonderfully classic in execution. I'm excited to read on.
By Crom! An absolute triumph! Titan has provided us Comic-errians with a crushing fist of a first issue. It took me forever to get to read this because I really wanted this to be great so I kept putting it off. Hero books have been downright putrid as of late. I was staring down another fresh offering of blecchy garbage from the Big 2 aka The 'Big Poo' so I needed this to restore my faith in the genre. Well, it did. Flagons of ale and wenches to the creative team for honoring this great character with a book that oozes with a deep love for all things from the Nemedian Chronicles. Full take along with a video breakdown of this great start at: https://standupcomicreader.blogspot.c...
Zub delivers the opening saga of Conan, who at age 24, defeats a small army of undead warriors with the aid of female Pict Brissa and a small group of tired mercenaries. De La Torres’ John Buscema-like pencils are the chef’s kiss here and the art leaps off the page with a fierce Conan, some beautiful women and an array of grizzled and bearded warriors good and evil. Just a breath of fresh air for my all-time favorite hero. Good things abound for fans of the Cimmerian in this 4 issue story arc and beyond.
It is like meeting with an old friend you grew up with. Finally !!! Please just keep up the good work and follow the spirit of the best Buscema years. We don’t need your personal touch or anything else, just give us the Buscema style and everything will be perfect.
"Bound in Black Stone, Part 1: Scourge of the Dead", August 2023
The opening scene is
Great first issue from Jim Zub that hearkens back to older era Conan and comics. The art by Rob De La Torre doesn't over-personalize the character features, and it gives us masculine men and feminine women, morbid monsters, and ominous eyes in a dark forest. I feel like I'm actually reading a pulp sword-and-sorcery tale, and Conan is actually going to battle supernatural horrors with fair fellows doomed for death and Howard's always present woman who is likable and has Conan's back as much he has hers.
Conan of Cimmeria Captain of the Bleeders Ravi - Bleeders mercenary Groff - villager Brissa of the Gurian Picts
Promete mucho esta etapa de Titans Cómics para Conan The Barbarian, que tiene mucho lo que hizo legendaria la etapa de Thomas y Buscema. Brutal,sin concesiones y un arte que muestra todo. No se puede pedir más. Muy recomendable.