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 Librarian

New shorty short box (on right) for my Conan The Barbarian comics

Part of my ambition to get through my massive backlog of unread comics also involves tidying up and organising those that I have read.

I've long wanted to get my Conan The Barbarian comics in one place and so have started with that phase of the operation.

I picked up a new short box (unexpectedly shorter than the short boxes I already owned), labelled it with a sticker I got from Etsy for just this purpose, and began going through the individual issues I had that would now take up residence in the new box.

Barbarian sticker from Etsy

So far, my efforts have focussed on the current Titan/Heroic Signatures-published Conan The Barbarian titles, the event mini-series they've produced, and their Solomon Kane comic books (to keep the Robert E Howard theme going).

I've also filed away some miscellaneous titles like an old Kull comic and a guide to The Hyborian Age that Marvel produced back in the day as part of its Official Handbooks line.

But these were the easy ones to find and sort, as I had most to hand. Now I need to decide if I also include Marvel's most recent run of Conan The Barbarian (which are scattered through piles under the bed and in the office) or even the few stray issues from their original, legendary run.

I don't own many of those issues from the '70s or '80s as I have a decent library of the omnibuses of both Conan The Barbarian and The Savage Sword of Conan.

This, in turn, reminds me to think about the new iteration of Savage Sword. As a magazine-sized publication it doesn't fit in standard comic book storage containers. However, it does slide nicely onto my shelves, so I'm pretty certain I won't much problem keeping them in order: most already have a home on the shelf next to the omnibus collection.

TODAY IS ROBERT E HOWARD'S 120th BIRTHDAY

It's the 120th anniversary of the birth of the greatest pulp adventure writer of all time, Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan, Solomon Kane, Sailor Steve Costigan, King Kull et al.

In the videos above people way smarter and more erudite than I share their love and appreciation for the man and his inspirational and enduring writing.

And what better time to make your own contribution to the legacy of Robert E. Howard by supporting  the Robert E. Howard Foundation, which needs funds urgently for the upkeep of Howard's former home - now a museum of his life and work.

"...the home of Robert E. Howard requires some serious repairs: its foundation and piers are rotting and collapsing, there is termite damage to a large section of an outside wall, and many of the floors are starting to buckle and drop. While the hard-working folks of Project Pride in Cross Plains have restored and cared for the House since acquiring it back in the 1980s, their small volunteer army cannot address the extensive repairs that will be needed. Professional restoration is required for this 100+ year old home on the National Historical Register, and it is needed now, before the damage gets worse.

"Because the house is on the National Historical Register and the State of Texas Historical Places list, the cost of repairs will be affected. All repairs will require contractors that have experience with this type of historical preservation, as we will need to keep the House as close to its original state as possible, during its historical period (i.e., when REH lived there)."

You can support this fundraiser here.

Savage Sword of Conan Swings Into Third Year

Main cover art by Alex Horley

Originally conceived as a six-issue mini-series lasting for a year, Titan Comics' hugely popular black-and-white Savage Sword of Conan magazine is now entering its third year of publication.

Buoyed up by blockbuster sales from eager fans, issue 13 is scheduled to arrive in March, featuring the return of the now-classic team of Roy Thomas and Roberto De La Torre for a "mesmerizing" Conan tale.

The magazine will also include a silent Solomon Kane story from writer Enrique Dueñas González and artist James Castillo, plus pin-ups and more.

Alternate cover art by James Castillo

PROJECT 60: What Does The Future Hold?

As I race towards my sixtieth birthday next year, I can't help feeling that it's time I got my "collecting" hobbies under control before I end up on an episode of Hoarders or Rachel finds me buried under a collapsed pile of books, comics, and blu-rays!

I've already mentioned that my life-long love affair with roleplaying games is dwindling, thanks to the dawning realisation that I'm never going to run a "forever campaign" that comes close to my hopes and dreams.

I still want to keep playing, and won't - and can't - stop thinking about RPGs, but the constant need to be working on 'my next great roleplaying project' has definitely eased off. 

Picture, if you can, the amount of space I could create in our house if I sold off all the games (and supplements) that I own but which I'll never read or revisit.

That's going to take a lot of effort to do properly, but it might generate a decent sum of money to bulk up my ever-shrinking bank account.

On the other hand, I'm currently thinking of burying myself in Cubicle 7's Doctor Who RPG, just not with any expectation of running it (it's simply not a game I could imagine my group, The Tuesday Knights, taking to).

However, I quite fancy the idea of creating Whoniverse scenarios, settings, gadgets, aliens etc to share with the readers of this blog.

If I were to return to running a campaign, with any chance of it surviving more than three or four sessions, it would almost certainly embrace the simplicity of old school Dungeons & Dragons-style gaming. As I did many years ago with the Tuesday Knight's three-year Heroes & Other Worlds campaign.

Honestly, I'd just really love to run a hardcore dungeoncrawl at some point. Just not now.

For reasons of both space and finances, I also need to trim my comic book pull-list from its current 25 titles a month down to something more manageable.

Part of my problem has been that my osteoarthritis has made me feel so uncomfortable that concentrating on reading (and finding a good position to do so) has led to a four or five month backlog of unread comics.

Some, I fear, will have to remain unread if I ever want to get back up-to-date.

Going forward, I'm thinking of streamlining my reading to: DC's Superman (and family); Marvel's Fantastic Four; and Titan's Howardverse titles (Conan The Barbarian, Savage Sword, Solomon Kane etc)

There'll be a few odds and ends in there as well: such as Dynamite's "occasional" Fire and Ice.

I've also heard a rumour that the long-delayed Afterlife With Archie (the greatest unfinished zombie comic book saga of all time) might have finally - after a 10 year hiatus - clawed its way out of the grave to resume its run, but I'll only believe it once that new issue is in my hands.

Of course, on top of all this, there's still my monthly Judge Dredd Megazine subscription and odd runs of 2000AD (I'm still undecided on whether to wean myself off the latter or take out a subscription to sit parallel with my Megazine one).

So, that's still a lot of comics each month, but - as long as I can catch up - it feels like it'll be easier to keep on top of.

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

Is Red Sonja's Retro Vibe A Bug or A Feature?

Red Sonja is in theaters August 15 and on digital platforms August 29!

Directed by MJ Bassett and starring: Matilda Lutz, Martyn Ford, Robert Sheehan, Wallis Day, Michael Bisping, Philip Winchester, Trevor Eve, Luca Pasqualino, Rhona Mitra

Enslaved by an evil tyrant who wishes to destroy her people, barbarian huntress Red Sonja (Lutz) must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against Dragan The Magnificent (Sheehan) and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia (Day).

If this trailer is anything to go by, the long-gestating adaptation of comic book character Red Sonja looks like an '80s throwback to the swords-and-sorcery cheesefests of yore. But will this work in its favour? Will it be so bad it's good or actually good?

Bear in mind that MJ Bassett directed the criminally underrated Solomon Kane movie starring James Purefoy, so she has form with this kind of storytelling. 

I can't see Red Sonja triggering a resurgence in sword-and-sorcery cinema, but, at least, it's keeping the genre alive.

Adding to the movie's "direct-to-video" feel is the fact that on the day this trailer was released the Blu-Ray was already available for pre-order on Amazon (in the UK, at least, with a mid-September release date). So, yes, before you ask: I have ordered it.

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

DC Stages A Comeback In My Superhero-Dominated Pull-List

Krypto: Last Dog of Krypton #1 movie variant cover (out this week)

As we were talking about statistics yesterday, I thought today would be a good time for a breakdown of my comic book pull-list.

This will then set a baseline for future comparisons as I monitor my shifting tastes.

There are currently 36 titles on my list, which sounds like a lot but includes pre-orders and one-shots as well as ongoing titles and limited series.

Over my nearly five decades of collecting, my "publisher of choice" has oscillated between DC and Marvel every few years - often with a short spell in between to focus on the smaller publishers. 

I actually thought my current list was dominated by DC at the moment, but I'd overlooked the number of Fantastic Four titles Marvel is pumping out to coincide with the arrival of their First Family in the MCU next month.

Pull-list broken down by publisher - June 2025

DC and Marvel are actually running pretty much neck and neck, thanks to both publishers pushing books tied into their potential summer blockbusters - which just happen to feature my favourite team and my favourite solo hero.

Pull-list broken down by genre - June 2025

I'm not surprised to see "superhero"-themed comics holding such sway over my list though as DC has really hit its stride this year, with its All In initiative. I hope this quality of storytelling will set the status quo for the company's books for a looooong time.

Prior to this, DC had pretty much been wiped off my pull-list (as I wasn't a fan of whatever convoluted balderdash they were doing with their storylines), but now the pendulum is definitely swinging back in the direction of the Distinguished Competition. 

Which is all great fun for me as a reader, but it's also starting to really put a strain on my budget. 

Therefore, largely for financial reasons (the cost of a single comic book continues to creep upwards) I'm aiming to trim my list down to books related to DC's Superman, books related to Marvel's Fantastic Four, and books related to the works of Robert E Howard (e.g. Conan The Barbarian, Solomon Kane etc).

We'll have to see how that goes. I'm already pondering "exceptions", such as catering to my interest in the Green Lantern Corps and its members as well as the JSA!

Fantastic Four Fanfare #2 (out this week)

Robert E Howard: The Life and Times of a Texas Author

The last estimate I got from Amazon for a delivery date said Robert E Howard: The Life and Times of a Texas Author might not show up until November - it arrived today!

While I have a lot of Howard's work in paperback form, I find as I get older I'm more comfortable with hardbacks (the text is usually larger for one thing).

Willard M Oliver's The Life and Times of a Texas Author is the latest addition to my growing library of hardback books by or about Howard, and comes highly recommended from a number of Howard aficionados whose opinions I value.

This tome is published by University of North Texas Press, while the rest of my Howard hardbacks are from The Robert E Howard Foundation, which appears to be putting out gorgeous new collections monthly.

 I will probably dig into the lovely new fiction books first, but this biography is on the "to be read" list for later in the year. Its speedy arrival across The Pond rather caught me off-guard.

My growing collection of REH hardbacks

Comic Book Collecting Isn't Just A Hobby, It's A Lifestyle

Latest comic book mail call: a pair of vintage issues of The Mighty Marvel Western

A combination of factors has necessitated constant revisions to my monthly comic book pull-list at Paradox Comics in Poole in recent years.

Not only do I find shelf space increasingly limited (despite dedicating most of the wall space in our office to my comic book collection, coupled with numerous short boxes under the bed and stacks of "to be read" books), but the cost of a single, new, comic book continues to rise while my pool of disposable income shrinks.

Yet while my list of new titles contracts, I can't help myself but seek out vintage back issues, either to fill holes in my collection or latch onto new (to me) titles that I decide I want to collect.

The latest arrival in this category is a pair of 1970's The Mighty Marvel Western (which, in turn, reprinted tales from the '50s and '60s), creating a fresh category on my list of titles to look out for.

There are 46 issues in that title, so that's going to take some work to fill up. But the joy is in the hunt.

Other comic book runs I'm gradually tracking down include Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu (which I'm nearly there on); Blue Devil (I'm only a handful issues away from finishing the original run of this title); and Jonah Hex (which I have a long way to go on).

Jonah Hex #40, from 1980: one of my recent acquisitions

While I collected the modern Jonah Hex run as they were published (well, at least, until he got zapped forward in time - again - to contemporary Gotham City) and the gorgeous Joe Lansdale and Tim Truman horror mini-series from the '90s, I'm currently on the hunt for the Bronze Age books.

I'm aiming for the first volume of Jonah Hex, the 92 issues published between 1977 and 1985, with the idea that I'll then look further back in time and try to collect his appearances in All-Star Western and Weird Western Tales (1972 - 1977).

Ultimately, I can see my pull-list of new titles shrinking down to, primarily:

• Superman Family books, 
• Fantastic Four titles, 
• and Titan's Robert E Howard books (currently Conan The Barbarian, Savage Sword of Conan magazine, and my top comic of the year so far Solomon Kane)

Hopefully, there'll be a bit of wiggle-room to still embrace the Justice Society and Justice League, Green Lantern and Daredevil. I'd like to also be able to squeeze some Archie in there too.

Sadly, top indie publisher Mad Cave's excellent books aren't getting distributed over here at the moment (because of the collapse of Diamond), which makes it easier to drop those titles and the first wave of EC horror books are coming to an end soon, so that'll make a convenient point to jump off.

Even though I've loved those books.

This month's Summer of Superman Special

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.

My Favourite Robert E Howard Character

Ask most people to name their favourite Robert E Howard character and the chances are they'll pick Conan or Solomon Kane, but for me - these days - it has to be Sailor Steve Costigan, star of many of Howard's light-hearted boxing stories.

I'll be honest and fess up to the fact that until 2007 I hadn't even heard of Steve Costigan, but then I had a letter published in one of Dark Horse comics' Conan titles berating them for an anachronistic brawl between the title character and a "guy in a T-shirt".

When I was informed that this was an homage to another of Howard's creations, I did some investigating and discovered Sailor Steve - a contemporary (ie 1930s) heavyweight boxer crewing on the merchant ship Sea Girl as it sails the Asiatic seas (with his pet bulldog, Mike).

Interest piqued by this pulp pugilist, I picked up a copy of Howard's Boxing Stories (published by Bison Books in 2005) and was immediately entranced by the colloquial style of patois Howard adopted for these stories.

These are witty, lyrical, tall tales full of two-fisted brawling and comedic misfortune, and come highly recommended.

Although I believe that Howard wrote more stories about Costigan than for any of his more fantastical characters, Sailor Steve isn't as 'mainstream' as Conan and Kane.

This is a shame, because Steve really is a more relatable character than most of the other members of Howard's stable of stallions.

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.