SDCC 23: Get ready for a whole new era of Conan in 2024

Conan the Barbarian has been somewhat dormant since the Marvel run ended, but the license is about to heat up big time.

Return to Hyboria

It’s been something of a twisting and turning trip for the tried and true Conan the Barbarian license over the last few years. From leaving Dark Horse, to arriving and then leaving Marvel (plus don’t forget the Indies), the big Cimmerian has certainly been well traveled. Now though, he’s about to land at a wholly new company for him, that being Titan Comics.

Titan picked up the IP a short time back, and has since been prepping a fresh run of sword-swinging savagery and prehistoric mayhem. That will come to a head next month, with Conan the Barbarian #1, from Jim Zub and artist Roberto De La Torre. It certainly isn’t going to stop with that one title though.

Even before the first issue of the first comic hits stands, Titan has revealed (at SDCC this past weekend) that the brand will be adding a second series for what’ll be Conan’s 50th (comic book) anniversary in 2024. Calling it a comic is a bit of a misnomer too, since this new book will actually be a magazine.

Classic sword and sorcery action

The Savage Sword of Conan will join the new line next year, and will be presented in as retro of a format as is possible. The title will be delivered in black & white, and seemingly be an anthology too, with a roster of writers and artists contributing. Fans can look for the likes of “John Arcudi, Frank Tieri, Patch Zircher, Howard Chaykin,Rafael Kayanan, Cary Nord, Rebeca Puebla, Dan Panosian, Richard Pace,Gerardo Zaffino and many more” to be involved.

“Ever since we announced the launch of this new comic book line, fans and creators alike have been clamouring for the return of this iconic title – ONLY if it was in its original B&W anthology magazine format,” says editor Matt Murray. “It’s been a really tough secret to keep that we at Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics have actually been planning on that all along, but it can be a tough skull to crack on a few levels. We hope that we can live up to the expectations, as well as the legacy of the classic book, and think that with the writers and artists we already have on board (and those we’re still talking to) we can forge a new and exciting chapter in CONAN’s savage story.”

Titan Comics press release

More to come

While the upcoming book sounds terrific, there’s much more Conan action on tap, arriving much sooner, as well. Titan plans on continuing its archival prints, with more Conan the Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus and the Savage Sword of Conan: The Original Comics Omnibus reprintings. The line will continue with Savage Sword volume 9 this November.

As for the company’s first original offering, Conan the Barbarian #1, fans can look for that on August 2nd, 2023. And you might want to lock your copy up now if you can, since the book is already the biggest selling title in Titan’s history.

According to the publisher, Conan has already pre-sold 80k copies. The response from fans has been so overwhelming that the opening issue will be getting a second run, and Titan says that a third printing is likely, with expected overall sales topping 100k issues.

So, if you’re a fan, maybe get your issue locked up sooner than later?