Missed Out On Free Conan Comic Day? Fret Not...

Conan of Cimmeria believed that Thulsa Doom’s evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more and, if it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!

Did you miss out on the Conan The Barbarian offering on May 2's Free Comic Book Day?

Don't worry - publishers Titan Comics has you covered. The 24-page book is now available as a free, downloadable PDF direct from them, here.

Written by legendary Conan scribe Jim Zub, with art by Jesus Merino, the comic is a prelude to the next big Howardverse comic book crossover event, Tides of the Tyrant King, starting in the Autumn.

This year's event ties into the classic 1929 Robert E Howard pulp story Skull-Face, his take on the Sax Rohmer's popular Fu Manchu adventures that began in 1912.

Tides of the Tyrant King also features, from the original Skull-Face yarn, Soldier Stephen Costigan, cousin of my favourite Howard creation Sailor Steve Costigan.

New Story Arc Begins Next Week For Conan The Barbarian

Cover art by Roberto De La Torre

Issue 29 of Titan's run of top-notch Conan The Barbarian comics is due to hit stores next Wednesday (February 25) - which means it'll probably arrive over here in the UK a week later.

This is the start of a new arc and is being touted by Titan as a perfect jumping-on point for new readers.

Scribe Jim Zub tells us:

"A new foe hunts Conan the Barbarian, tracking his spirit wherever he travels – a killer with keen blade in hand and teeth from old prey strung ‘round his neck. The Black Stone cult wants revenge and the Son of the Tooth is their weapon of choice."

Line art for the issue is by Doug Braithwaite, with colours by Diego Rodriguez, and letters by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith.

You can see some sample pages below, as well as variant covers for the issue.

Variant cover art by Jesus Marino

Variant cover art by Martin Simmonds

Variant cover art by Doug Braithwaite

Variant cover art by Toby Wilsmer

My Favourite Rick and Morty Quote About RPGs

"Rick is a power gamer. He plays D&D like it’s a maths problem. Like it’s a race he’s trying to win. Me? I don’t need to be the smartest wizard. I’d rather play someone brave, clever and charming. Someone interesting… someone who always knows the right thing to do. That’s the beauty of D&D. Sometimes it’s nice to pretend you’re someone different for a little while…"

- Jerry, from Rick and Morty vs Dungeons & Dragons Part III: Reality Bites (for 3d6+1)
by Patrick Rothfuss & Jim Zub (2018)

The sentiment, of course, applies to all roleplaying games, it's just that Dungeons & Dragons is ubiquitous and has a recognition factor with the general - comic book reading - public that other games probably don't.

New Existential Adventures for Conan The Barbarian

cover art by Roberto De La Torre

As has now become a tradition, Titan Comics will be using next year's Free Comic Book Day event to launch a pivotal new event story arc for its flagship Conan The Barbarian series.

Written, as ever, by the inimitable "Grim" Jim Zub, the free, 24-page Conan The Barbarian: Tides of The Tyrant-King #0 will be released on May 2, 2026, ahead of the Tides of The Tyrant-King miniseries in September.

Conan of Cimmeria believed that Thulsa Doom's evil had been banished forever, but the Atlantean necromancer’s dark power stirs once more and, if it cannot be stopped, the dead shall overtake the living! The Tyrant-King of Atlantis returns and all shall suffer, unless Conan and his brave allies can turn back the tide!

Encoiled In The Sorcerous Schemes of Set, The Serpent God

Conan of Cimmeria has encountered Stygian sorcery and snake-sent creatures many times in his grand adventures, but he has never faced the true unspeakable power of Set… until NOW.

The serpent god’s influence coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it. Three stunning supernatural stories will weave together to answer a chilling question of past and present – What is Set’s grand plan for humanity and, now that it’s begun, can it be stopped?

Written by Jim Zub, with art by Ivan Gil and colours from Joao Canola, Conan the Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent #1 slithers into stores on September 24.

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

Sailor Steve Hits Comics: Wishes Do Come True!

Mike Mignola cover art for Savage Sword of Conan #10

I'd heard the scuttlebutt, but now it's been confirmed: my favourite Robert E Howard character - Sailor Steve Costigan - is making his comic book debut in September's Savage Sword of Conan #10.

All three stories in this issue of the black-and-white, pulp anthology series are penned by premier Conan scribe Jim Zub, and tie in to the latest "event" storyline across Titan Comics' Howardverse titles, Scourge of The Serpent.

We don't know much yet about the actual plots of the individual tales, but the announcement that one stars Sailor Steve has me pacing like a prize fighter waiting for the bell.

Illustrated by Roberto de la Torre, Steve's adventure is described as a "bruising bout" and joins two other tales: one featuring Conan the Cimmerian and the other being "a journey into prehistory with characters from Robert E Howard’s Spear and Fang".

The 64-page Savage Sword of Conan #10 is scheduled to hit stores on September 3.

Alex Horley cover for Savage Sword of Conan #10

Jim Zub Reveals What's Next For Titan's Howardverse Comics

Main cover art by Roberto De La Torre

Conan The Barbarian: Scourge of The Serpent, a new Conan epic from Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures, goes on sale on September 24.

Conan of Cimmeria has encountered Stygian sorcery and snake-sent creatures many times in his grand adventures, but he has never faced the true unspeakable power of Set... until now.

The serpent god's influence coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it. Three stunning supernatural stories will weave together to answer a chilling question of past and present - What is Set's grand plan for humanity and, now that it's begun, can it be stopped?

Here's a sampling of the variant covers for September's release:

Variant cover art by John McCrea

Variant cover art by Matías Bergara

Variant cover art by Chris Stevens

Free Comic Book Day Aftermath

For those who missed Free Comic Book Day last weekend, or simply failed to pick up Titan's Conan: Scourge of The Serpent, the publisher has now made the issue available to download.

You can download it from Titan's own website, either as a PDF or a Kindle book, for free here.

This issue, written by Conan's current comic book scribe, Jim Zub, with art from Ivan Gil, is a prelude to this Autumn's major crossover Howardverse event, Scourge of The Serpent.

Fresh from mythic adventures in the frozen North, young Conan of Cimmeria’s wanderlust takes him south to the Nemedian principality of Numalia. A barbarian with no coin, no prospects, and an untamed thirst for wine and women, he embarks upon the first trade in his storied career: that of a thief. A simple enough prospect to most, but on this night the Cimmerian’s foray into petty crime will have consequences that ripple across the ages…