The Return of Solomon Kane

Main cover art by Patrick Zircher

Patrick Zircher brings Robert E Howard's Puritan monster-hunter, Solomon Kane, back to comics with his second miniseries, The Lion Errant, which launches next month.

Publisher Titan Comics has shared some examples of artist-writer Zircher's incredible interior work from the first issue, as well as a selection of its variant covers before this second eye-catching miniseries debuts on July 22.

And here are the main variant covers for the first issue of Solomon Kane - The Lion Errant: 

Variant cover art by Utsab Chatterjee

Variant cover by JH Williams III

Variant cover by Daniel Brereton

Variant cover by Stuart Sayger

Forthcoming Howardian Comics That Piqued My Interest

Legendary scribe Gail Simone is bringing us The Ring: The Man Who Beat The Man in June, courtesy of Dark Horse.

The eight-issue series, produced in co-operation with venerable boxing magazine, The Ring, follows:

"...veteran Ring Magazine journalist Cameron Duggan and rising broadcast personality Lisa Wolfe, a former podcaster who has transitioned into television commentary. As the pair travel the boxing world covering a new wave of contenders chasing championship glory, they encounter the ambition, rivalries and politics that shape the sport at its highest level.

"Each fighter approaches the pursuit differently, but the goal remains the same, reach the top of the sport and prove himself as the man who beat the man. As Duggan and Wolfe document the journey of these fighters, they also find themselves navigating the pressures and personalities that surround the sport."

While not directly a Robert E Howard story, Two-Gun Bob was a massive fan of boxing and wrote plenty of pulp tales set in that world - including those of my favourite character, Sailor Steve Costigan.

However, the next comic that caught my eye - and will be added to my pull-list PDQ - is pure Howard.

The incredible writer/artist Patrick Zircher brings his take on Howard's Puritan monster-hunter Solomon Kane back for another miniseries from Titan Comics in July.

Solomon Kane: The Lion Errant sees our hero travelling to India, guided by a "mysterious black-maned lion" where he is drawn into a "confrontation between the warrior queen Rani Durgavati and the mighty Mughal Empire".

"But the coming battle is more than a clash of armies. Ancient powers are stirring, gods and demons walk among the living, and Kane’s arcane Atlantean staff may hold the key to it all. Steel meets the divine. The Sword of Vengeance answers a higher call."

Joe Jusko cover art

The final forthcoming comic with serious Robert E Howard vibes is Dan Panosian's Fire And Ice: Darkwolf, from Dynamite, which also kicks off in July.

This is a spin-off from the gorgeous - but erratically published - Fire and Ice sword and sorcery comic book series.

"Born from the immortal imagination of fantasy illustrator supreme Frank Frazetta, Darkwolf storms into a new era of savage fantasy-brought to life by writer Dan "Urban Barbarian" Panosian and powerhouse artist Andrey Lunatik.

"Dynamite's acclaimed exploration of the world of Fire and Ice continues in this new series!

"It all begins when a mother and her twins flee the warlock who sired them - until a masked warrior descends from the mountains and unleashes hell upon their pursuers. But saving them is only the beginning. 

"Violent. Mythic. Unrelenting. This is Darkwolf, and the legend begins here - a fierce, visceral rebirth of one of fantasy's most iconic warriors

Dan Panosian cover art

Conan The Barbarian Hits His Quarter-Century

Painted wraparound cover for by Alex Horley

The blockbuster Conan The Barbarian comic, from Titan and Heroic Signatures, releases its landmark 25th issue this October.

To mark the occasion, this issue will be a 48-page, standalon King Conan adventure from celebrated Conan scribe Jim Zub, fully painted by Alex Horley.

In his weekly newsletter, Zub stated:

"Solicits and preview pages are making the rounds and it’s so nice to be able to show people some of the jaw-dropping work I’ve been staring in awe at since Alex and I started working on this epic back in September of last year.

"This issue is my first King Conan story, it’s a self-contained adventure, and it’s a fist-pumping sword-swinging celebration of our series – past, present, and future."

He added:

"And just as a reminder – Conan the Barbarian will keep going after issue #25! I know a lot of current comic series seem to be getting cancelled or constantly relaunched, but we are going strong and our latest issues have defied typical attrition patterns and are going up in sales.

"There are many more adventures to come as long as readers and retailers keep supporting the series the way they have so far."

Fully-painted preview of interior artwork by Alex Horley

At last weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, it was also revealed that the popularity of Patrick Zircher's recent Solomon Kane mini-series means a second series is coming next year; and a new title called Savage Sword: Reforged is being launched, reprinting select stories from the original black and white Marvel run of Savage Sword of Conan but in colour.

A sample of Barry Windsor-Smith's coloured art from The Frost-Giant's Daughter

The first issue of Reforged comes with a choice of covers:

A new podcast, called Legends of Conan, was mentioned; Jim Zub hinted at his four-year plan (with annual 'event' pillars) for Conan The Barbarian, including the arc in issues 26 to 28 which will show how Conan became the king of Aquilonia; and a forthcoming, brand new Kull comic book series was also announced during the busy Heroic Signatures panel.

It's a great time to be a comic book-reading fan of the creations of Robert E Howard!

Art tease from Patrick Zircher's next Solomon Kane miniseries

TOP OF THE PILE: Solomon Kane - The Serpent Ring #1

I cannot recommend the first issue of Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring highly enough.

Patrick Zircher has done a phenomenal job as writer, artist and colourist, bringing Robert E Howard's Puritan monster-hunter to life in this breathtakingly-paced cinematic adventure.

While serving as a privateer in the service of Queen Elizabeth, Kane accidentally kills an innocent man, but with the man's dying breath he tasks the Puritan with returning a precious snake-head statuette to a friend in Venice.

However, forces are afoot that seek to thwart Kane in his endeavours. 

Solomon Kane may be the protagonist of The Serpent Ring, but Pat Zircher's story is full of well-developed characters, all with their own motivations, often at odds with each other.

The first issue of Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring is the best comic I've read so far this year, truly feeling like a Robert E Howard tale of pulp adventure complete with a palpable frisson of excitement and a hunger to find out what happens next.

The book left me very excited to see where this continent-spanning story takes us in subsequent issues (as well as finding out how it all ties into the wider Howardverse that Titan Comics is showcasing).

I realise this mini-series is setting up the next big "event" story, Scourge of The Serpent, which is great, but I'd love for Solomon Kane to be an ongoing title... on the proviso that Patrick Zircher is left alone to write and draw this comic for as long as he wants.

Pat Zircher's Artwork Dazzles In New Solomon Kane Mini-Series Preview

Patrick Zircher cover art for issue one of Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring

What a great time to be a fan of Robert E Howard's 16th Century Puritan monster-hunter Solomon Kane!

More details were revealed about the four-part Solomon Kane miniseries from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics.

"The ‘Sword of Vengeance’ slashes into his own new series, Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring! Kane battles from the Barbary Coast; across Southern Europe, to the canals of Venice, as a band of rogues forms around him in their quest for the fabled Serpent Ring of Set!"

Following in the footsteps of Titan's recent Howardverse crossover event, Battle of The Black Stone - which saw Kane teaming up with Robert E Howard's most famous creation, Conan The Barbarian - this mini will also lay the groundwork for the publisher's next big 'event' storyline in 2025: Conan - Scourge of The Serpent.

The first issue of Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring, written and illustrated by Patrick Zircher, is due to hit comic shops on March 26, and comes with a choice of five covers (shown on this page).

Daniel Brereton cover art

Andrew Maclean cover art

Mike Mignola cover art

J.H. Williams III cover art

Spinning out of the pages of Savage Sword of Conan - where Zircher showed us his passion and knowledge of the character, as well as his amazing artwork - this will be Solomon Kane's first solo series in 15 years.

Titan has also released this gorgeous sample of the first pages of the issue (unlettered) to whet your appetite:

Then in early 2026, Solomon Kane is also featuring in his first novel: Solomon Kane - Suffer The Witch, by Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters, The Dissonance, and Conan: Lethal Consignment.

"Solomon Kane journeys back to England to save a woman accused of witchcraft and murder. Kane must find the true culprits while battling the town’s paranoia and superstition.

A middle-aged Solomon Kane has been summoned back to England to help a childhood friend, Catherine Archer. In the wake of several grisly deaths, Catherine’s friend Sybil has been charged with employing witchcraft to commit these murders.

She faces execution. Though his body isn’t what it once was, Kane’s mind is as sharp as ever. He deduces that Sybil is indeed a witch but perhaps not a murderous one.

Later, Kane experiences horrific nightmares and witnesses the latest gruesome death. He manages to stop a baying mob from lynching Sybil but in doing so becomes a target of the paranoid villagers himself.

Sympathetic, Kane wants to help these fearful villagers. He soon learns that profane creatures are really behind the murders. After a lifetime of fighting evil, the puritan has lost a step, but he will do everything in his power to battle the ancient force that threatens the town’s existence."

Snakes Alive! Solomon Kane Gets His Own Comic and Conan Crushes FCBD Again!

In case you missed it: following the incredible success of its Conan The Barbarian comics, Titan is broadening its offerings from the worlds of pulp scribe extraordinaire Robert E Howard with the launch of a new Solomon Kane miniseries in March.

Although little is known at present, Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring will be written - and illustrated - by Pat Zircher (who has delivered the mighty fine Solomon Kane strip in the Savage Sword of Conan magazine this year).

Legendary artist Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) will be providing variant cover art for, at least, the first issue.

The hardnosed, 16th Century Puritan monster-slayer Kane, of course, co-starred in Titan's recent Howardverse crossover comic event, Battle of The Black Stone, alongside Conan and a host of other Robert E Howard creations.

Keeping with the serpent theme (a common motif in Howard's work), Titan is also announcing its next "event" storyline, Scourge of The Serpent, with its 2025 Free Comic Book Day offering.

The serpent god's influence tightens its coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it... Three stunning supernatural stories will spiral together to answer a chilling question framed in past and present. What is Set’s grand plan for humanity and, now that it has begun, can it be stopped? The newest epic Conan event, begins here!

Conan: Scourge of The Serpent will be available, for free, from your friendly, local comic book shop on Saturday, May 3, along with a host of other 'taster' titles.