Words To Live By?

Conan & Dragonero #3 (Titan Comics)

In this month's issue of the non-canonical crossover comic, Conan & Dragonero, our Cimmerian protagonist delivered a throwaway, mid-combat, line that rather caught me by surprise.

"I don't worry about anything until it happens".

I am, by no stretch, a Robert E Howard scholar or expert on his most famous creation, but I guess this has always been Conan's philosophy - even though I don't recall him specifically spelling it out like that.

Perhaps, in all my years of consuming the adventures of Conan The Barbarian in various media, I've never really given this much serious thought.

To be honest, I'm not one hundred percent sure that this statement is a sensible approach to life as, taken at face value, surely that means a total absence of forward planning... and yet Conan is a master of the cunning trick and unpredictable battle strategies.

However, though the lens of stoicism, he is right. Only worry about things within your control. 

There's no point worrying about the possibility of wild wyverns slashing the balloon of your airship and sending you plummeting to the ground... because that's out of your control. 

Fighting the monsters that are in front of you, though, is within your control.

I wish I could adopt this mindset.

I've always been quite an anxious person, but since the sudden aortic aneurysm that struck me down out of the blue a couple of decades ago (and the stroke I suffered during the emergency, life-saving surgery), my PTSD-fuelled anxiety and general nervousness has gone through the roof.

Things that used to bug me or worry me can now reduce me to a blubbering wreck.

But these are - nearly always - things that are out of my control.

I'd love to have a modicum of Conan's stoicism. I shall endeavour, next time an appropriate situation arises, to tell myself "not to worry about anything until it happens".

This reminds of another phrase I heard last year that I try to put into use when I can.

In the brutal Netflix Western serial, American Primeval, Taylor Kitsch's character tells a kid with a broken arm: "It's only pain."

A simple, little phrase, but one I now repeat to myself when I'm going to the doctor's or the hospital for a procedure that involves sticking needles into my tiny, elusive veins.

I still hate it, it doesn't stop me screaming out or crushing Rachel's hand, but - at the end of the day - it is "only pain". It's not going to kill me, and it will pass.

So, who still thinks that comic books and television aren't good for you?

This Month Conan Teams-Up With Legendary Italian Hero

Issue one cover art by Roberto De La Torre

Pulled to the mysterious land of Erondár by dark forces, Conan comes face to face with the famed dragon slayer, Dragonero, and the two warriors must set aside suspicion to stand back-to-back against a supernatural force poised to doom both their worlds.

This landmark crossover brings together two legendary heroes in a story that honours classic sword-and-sorcery while forging something bold and unforgettable.

On May 13, Conan of Cimmeria and Dragonero meet for the first time in Conan & Dragonero #1, from Titan Comics.

Conan and Dragonero Team-up For First Time In English

Cover art by Lorenzo Nuti

Conan the Barbarian will team-up with Italian comic book icon Dragonero this May in a seven-part miniseries published for the first time outside of Italy by Titan Comics and Conan rights' holders Heroic Signature.

In Conan & Dragonero, the legendary barbarian finds himself transported to a mysterious land called Erondár, the home of dragon-slaying hero Dragonero.

After the traditional initial misunderstanding triggered by such meetings, the two heroes realise they must team-up to fight the mysterious forces that threaten both their worlds.

This series is written by Dragonero's creators Luca Enoch and Stefano Vietti, with art from Lorenzo Nuti.

Because much of Robert E Howard's work is in the public domain outside of the United States, this team-up book was originally published by Sergio Bonelli Editore in Italy back in 2022/23 as Dragonero & Conan The Barbarian: Shadow of The Dragon.

Now, it has finally made its way into the American comic book format:

TWO WORLDS COLLIDE IN A SAVAGE CROSSOVER YEARS IN THE MAKING!

CONAN OF CIMMERIA and DRAGONERO meet for the first time in an epic clash of steel, sorcery, and survival. Pulled to the mysterious land of Erondár by dark forces, Conan comes face to face with the famed dragon slayer, Dragonero, and the two warriors must set aside suspicion to stand back-to-back against a supernatural force poised to doom both their worlds.

Published for the first time outside of Italy, this landmark crossover brings together two legendary heroes in a story that honors classic sword-and-sorcery while forging something bold and unforgettable.