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Conan the Barbarian: Bound In Black
Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone, Vol. 1
He forged a whole new genre – sword and sorcery. He spawned a thousand imitators and after 90 years he’s still going strong! He is CONAN THE BARBARIAN – THE GREATEST WARRIOR OF ALL TIMES! And he’s back for a whole new epic saga in search of high adventure and battle. CROM! Pirate! Thief! Mercenary and warrior, the legendary Conan the Barbarian is back! Armed with just his wits and his sword, Conan sets out for the first time from his beloved Cimmeria in search of glory and adventure. Often copied, but never bettered, this is the welcome return of the first and mightiest hero ever to stride the world. On the eve of his first major battle, young Conan of Cimmeria pictures a life beyond the borders of his homeland and yearns for a life of adventure undreamt of in his small village. Visions of future allies and unspeakable evils he will eventually encounter throughout his fabled career fill his mind, as he makes the choice to take his first fateful step into the Hyborian Age. For fans of heroic blood-soaked action-adventure and ancient arcane wizardry! Collects Conan the Barbarian #1-4 and the 2023 Free Comic Book Day issue.
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2024
About the author
Jim Zub
891 books288 followersJim Zub is a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada. Over the past fifteen years he’s worked for a diverse array of publishing, movie and video game clients including Disney, Warner Bros., Capcom, Hasbro, Bandai-Namco and Mattel.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and Program Coordinator for Seneca College‘s award-winning Animation program.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
February 12, 2024
8.1/10
A worthy addition to the Conan mythos.
The creative team does an excellent job. Zub writes a great story as we see Conan and some new interesting faces fighting against the forces of evil. But it's De La Torre's magnificent art that elevates this into a must read of Conan fans.
A worthy addition to the Conan mythos.
The creative team does an excellent job. Zub writes a great story as we see Conan and some new interesting faces fighting against the forces of evil. But it's De La Torre's magnificent art that elevates this into a must read of Conan fans.
December 21, 2023
To put it simply, the entire creative team of this iteration of Conan the Barbarian are out here doing Crom's work. Jim Zub has crafted an excellent story that hints at darker things to come for our barbarian and touches on other Robert E. Howard connections. In Brissa, he also created a great original character that was immediately more than most of the female characters you find in Conan tales. I look forward to seeing what he has in store in the months to come. The art by Robert de la Torre is simply stunning and has a classic feel that harkens back to John Buscema and Frank Frazetta without copying them. Indeed, the entire book is beautiful from top to bottom including colors and lettering. I don't claim to be a Conan expert, just a Conan lover but for me this series has checked every box needed for a perfect Conan the Barbarian story.
Special Thanks to Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
Special Thanks to Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
March 31, 2024
Love the action the brutality, the arts type decent story, I wven like the harsher language that is not bleeped out as it fits the character perfectly and i like the hints of the main characters ancestors I would have given this book 4.5 stars simply as ot us so fast-paced that almost to the point of being rushed. I wish the main story was spread over five issues/chapters, but that could just me doing greed for wanting more.
The books start from Conan's first real battle. Defending Cimmeria with his fellow Cimmerians against ovetwhealming odds. Then Conan is back to his brutal best. Plying his trade. He might be a mercenary, but he is not to be taken advantage of and NEVER to be crossed. However, the undead have no fear, and the number advantage can even Conan and his new ally overcome these odds?
This book reminds me of when Dark Horse took over the comic franchise and made Conan the top comic book. This is back to that feel if they can keep this up, I sm happy. I also like the continuity of the Howardverse, being pushed. The book finishes with a nod to the character and, of course, his creator, a sketch book with character designs, and a thumbnail variant cover gallery of all the covers.
The books start from Conan's first real battle. Defending Cimmeria with his fellow Cimmerians against ovetwhealming odds. Then Conan is back to his brutal best. Plying his trade. He might be a mercenary, but he is not to be taken advantage of and NEVER to be crossed. However, the undead have no fear, and the number advantage can even Conan and his new ally overcome these odds?
This book reminds me of when Dark Horse took over the comic franchise and made Conan the top comic book. This is back to that feel if they can keep this up, I sm happy. I also like the continuity of the Howardverse, being pushed. The book finishes with a nod to the character and, of course, his creator, a sketch book with character designs, and a thumbnail variant cover gallery of all the covers.
February 14, 2024
This Trade Paperback collects the free comic book day issue and issues 1-4 of the new Conan series by Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures. Awesome start to the series. The artwork is on point and the story was a captivating sword and sorcery fest. Brule even makes an appearance! Excellent!
January 11, 2024
A fine story that I have some nitpicks with. Zub overwrites, lots and lots of text. I think this is the most I've seen Conan speak. The Bound in Black Stone story is 4 issues, which Roy Thomas back in the 70s would have told in a single issue.
I liked that Conan was in Cimmeria and people actually know him. Usually he's in an outsider.
Rob De La Torre does a bangup job on art. To me he's channeling John Buscema when Buscema would ink himself - very rough and lively. The color team changes in the story, but both seem a bit too heavy-handed. A bit dark and murky. I think having flat colors like a DWJ comic would have elevated the material. A B+W version of this story could be cool.
Unfortunately, this is not the stellar first volume that the FCBD issue suggested it would be. I'm still sad that Darkhorse lost the license!
I liked that Conan was in Cimmeria and people actually know him. Usually he's in an outsider.
Rob De La Torre does a bangup job on art. To me he's channeling John Buscema when Buscema would ink himself - very rough and lively. The color team changes in the story, but both seem a bit too heavy-handed. A bit dark and murky. I think having flat colors like a DWJ comic would have elevated the material. A B+W version of this story could be cool.
Unfortunately, this is not the stellar first volume that the FCBD issue suggested it would be. I'm still sad that Darkhorse lost the license!
February 21, 2024
Journey back the Hyborian Age of Man as Conan the Barbarian and Brissa of the Gurian Tribe aim to stem an onslaught of the damned and save Cimmeria from a certain doom. The quest takes them into the heart of the Citadel of the Black Stone and brings them into the clutches of the cult that worship at the altar of the Black Stone. Along the way Conan learns about the origins of this curse and about the history of his land from ages past. Yet is the knowledge enough for Conan to free his land and prevent the Army of the Lost from overrunning the continent?
Conan The Barbarian – Bound in Black Stone is the first collected volume of Jim Zub’s run on Conan The Barbarian under Titan Comics. Titan’s Conan hems closer to the character’s pulp fiction roots with a hefty focus on capturing tone and aesthetics of the classic sword and sorcery comics from the Bronze Age. The collection contains the Free Comic Book 2023 story, issues 1-4 of the ongoing, and the various back matter of the respective issues including this beautiful Map that shows the world. Altogether, this makes for a hefty story with some fantastic art by Roberto De La Torre. This makes for a fun read for readers who prefer the pulpier side of comics over the superhero fare.
Jim Zub crafts a tale that pulls from various angles of the Robert Howard universe—Thalla Doom, the cult of the Black Stone, Brule, and Kull—and synthesizes it all into a solid jumping on point for anyone who is even the slightly bit curious about Conan of Cimmeria. This volume presents a story that is well constructed and well executed. The inclusion of the Free Comic Book Day special speaks volumes to the attempt to craft an excellent Conan trade that can be someone’s first exposure to the character as well as a satisfying experience for long time fans. The FCBD story is as much of a Conan origin as possible with a focus on the Sack of Venarium and young Conan’s call to adventure. It is an excellent introduction to the character.
The rest of the trade focuses on the Bound in Black Stone arc which seeks to build out the Hyborian Age’s world for the reader with a focus on the Picts and the world of the occult that surrounds them. There is lot of character moments from Zub that shows the depth of Conan and that he is not just some slab of man that can swing a big sword. We get to see Conan be smart and cunning as well as swing that big sword of his.
The Picts are a big part of the story as the Army of the Lost originated as a fallen Pict clan that sought to use the allure of dark magic to gain immense power. Zub presents the Picts as a diverse group though and not just the stereotypical savages that often framed the characters. This is done with the scout- Brissa.
She is a new character for this story and Zub uses her to inform the reader a lot about the world. She also serves as a contrast to Conan. For while Conan seeks adventure in the larger world around him, Brissa is reluctantly journeying across the Northlands and only doing so out of a sense of obligation. Often trying to serve as a herald of the Army of the Lost in a foolish attempt to spare the lives of the innocents that stand in Army’s wake. She is very much a foil to Conan and takes him to task for his sense of self-assurance. Zub’s dynamic between the two is pretty well written and the two work great together. Of course, with this being a Conan story, Conan and Brissa share the night together. This leads to one of the more unfortunate aspects of the comic, and the genre for that matter, but more on that later.
Zub weaves elements of the Howard stories in a seamless fashion that it helps give the world such a large scope. He pulls out Brule in a flashback sequence that helps not only explain the mysterious occult dealings of those who worship the Black Stone but fleshes out the world of Conan in a way that isn’t too heavy handed but also gives the reader the information they need to know. The flashback sequence is a strong moment for the trade and does a lot of the world building in interesting ways.
Additionally, Zub has a real knack for capturing the style of storytelling that best fits barbarian-style stories with his use of third person narration to set the tone and direction of the comic along with scripting some of the most violent bare-knuckle brawls this side of the Hyborian age. The third person narrative device does a lot of work here in putting the reader into the mindset of a fantasy bronze age comic. It provides flourishes to the world which in turn creates a much richer experience. It is much about setting a tone as it is about telling the story.
Roberto De La Torre’s art is phenomenal and the main selling point for the comic. While Zub’s writing is great here and captures the tone that works best for Conan, but it would be for want if there wasn’t art to complement it. De La Torre just hits it out of the park here. His style is reminiscent of classic Bronze Age art with heavy brushwork and just powerful energy in the page composition. The art is in the vein of Burne Hogarth and Frank Frazetta coupled with John Buscema. De La Torre just showing a masterclass in storytelling and energy.
Then there are action scenes that are positively breathtaking to read and detailed in a way that just makes it pure eye candy. For example, the Sack of Venarium is violent and bloody but well composed that you can easily make sense of the action. There isn’t a point in the action sequences where anything is misleading. Then there are these moments where Conan receives a vision that utilizes the double-page spread in a mesmerizing way that contrasts the relatively clear action sequences by being this collage of different visions that are dream-like in its mystery and confusion.
The colours complement De La Torre’s line work and page compositions by setting the mood and the energy of many pages. The colour Jose Villarrubia duties are split between (FCBD and Issue #1) and Dean White (Issues #2-4). Both artists have subtle differences in their colour palate choices with Villarrubia seemingly quicker to use stark contrasting colours for backgrounds such a fuchsias and yellows, and White more likely to favour more subtle colours or just stark white backgrounds in the form of negative space. Yet, the differences are subtle, and the overall colouring style is uniform across the 5 issues. They both employ a more gauche approach that gives the comic a more painterly look that elevates it to its classic sword and sorcery fantasy roots.
The use of stark white backdrops creates interesting negative space that Richard Starkings takes advantage of and letters straight onto the background and not in a caption box. This coupled with the font selection makes for a comic that looks and feels like it belongs in the bronze age. Starkings is a master at pulling the reader’s eyes across the page and the places he would put the narration was often inventive. Additionally, the caption placement provided a rhythm to the comic that gave it the feeling of being epic.
After saying all of this, there are some flaws with Conan The Barbarian – Bound in Black Stone. Most of these are endemic to the genre itself and trappings that just come with this type of story. The main one being how Brissa is written off. In most Sword and Sorcery stories (pulp stories in general, to be honest) you can’t have your leading male character settle down with a partner. The genre doesn’t lend itself to that as the lead is often wondering the countryside and acting like a male power fantasy in slaying monsters, righting wrongs, and sleeping with buxom babes.
Now, the usual way of resolving the conflict of not having your male lead settle down is by killing the love interest. Bound in Black Stone doesn’t do that, at least. Instead, Brissa is written off as having gone back into the Citadel of Black Stone to help Conan and the others escape. It is implied that she dies in the collapse of the Citadel, but there isn’t a body. It is likely Brissa will return when an adventure calls for it. That’s fine. It just annoyed me that she isn’t even shown going back into the Citadel. There is a moment where, after getting the prisoners to safety, she decides to return to the Citadel, but it isn’t shown. I am glad that Zub subverts the expectation here, but I would have liked to see more closure on her fate or at least certainty of her actions. This is admittedly a minor quibble, and the genre is known to do far worse with its female characters, but I wanted to see more.
Overall, Conan the Barbarian – Bound in Black Stone is a great entry point for anyone interested in reading Conan comics. The writing is extremely well done, and the art is stunning. Conan is a captivating character and the standard bearer of Sword and Sorcery stories for a reason. This is no exception. The flaws are along the lines of these types of stories, though. I highly recommend fans of Conan or Sword and Sorcery to check it out. It’s a violently good time.
Conan The Barbarian – Bound in Black Stone is the first collected volume of Jim Zub’s run on Conan The Barbarian under Titan Comics. Titan’s Conan hems closer to the character’s pulp fiction roots with a hefty focus on capturing tone and aesthetics of the classic sword and sorcery comics from the Bronze Age. The collection contains the Free Comic Book 2023 story, issues 1-4 of the ongoing, and the various back matter of the respective issues including this beautiful Map that shows the world. Altogether, this makes for a hefty story with some fantastic art by Roberto De La Torre. This makes for a fun read for readers who prefer the pulpier side of comics over the superhero fare.
Jim Zub crafts a tale that pulls from various angles of the Robert Howard universe—Thalla Doom, the cult of the Black Stone, Brule, and Kull—and synthesizes it all into a solid jumping on point for anyone who is even the slightly bit curious about Conan of Cimmeria. This volume presents a story that is well constructed and well executed. The inclusion of the Free Comic Book Day special speaks volumes to the attempt to craft an excellent Conan trade that can be someone’s first exposure to the character as well as a satisfying experience for long time fans. The FCBD story is as much of a Conan origin as possible with a focus on the Sack of Venarium and young Conan’s call to adventure. It is an excellent introduction to the character.
The rest of the trade focuses on the Bound in Black Stone arc which seeks to build out the Hyborian Age’s world for the reader with a focus on the Picts and the world of the occult that surrounds them. There is lot of character moments from Zub that shows the depth of Conan and that he is not just some slab of man that can swing a big sword. We get to see Conan be smart and cunning as well as swing that big sword of his.
The Picts are a big part of the story as the Army of the Lost originated as a fallen Pict clan that sought to use the allure of dark magic to gain immense power. Zub presents the Picts as a diverse group though and not just the stereotypical savages that often framed the characters. This is done with the scout- Brissa.
She is a new character for this story and Zub uses her to inform the reader a lot about the world. She also serves as a contrast to Conan. For while Conan seeks adventure in the larger world around him, Brissa is reluctantly journeying across the Northlands and only doing so out of a sense of obligation. Often trying to serve as a herald of the Army of the Lost in a foolish attempt to spare the lives of the innocents that stand in Army’s wake. She is very much a foil to Conan and takes him to task for his sense of self-assurance. Zub’s dynamic between the two is pretty well written and the two work great together. Of course, with this being a Conan story, Conan and Brissa share the night together. This leads to one of the more unfortunate aspects of the comic, and the genre for that matter, but more on that later.
Zub weaves elements of the Howard stories in a seamless fashion that it helps give the world such a large scope. He pulls out Brule in a flashback sequence that helps not only explain the mysterious occult dealings of those who worship the Black Stone but fleshes out the world of Conan in a way that isn’t too heavy handed but also gives the reader the information they need to know. The flashback sequence is a strong moment for the trade and does a lot of the world building in interesting ways.
Additionally, Zub has a real knack for capturing the style of storytelling that best fits barbarian-style stories with his use of third person narration to set the tone and direction of the comic along with scripting some of the most violent bare-knuckle brawls this side of the Hyborian age. The third person narrative device does a lot of work here in putting the reader into the mindset of a fantasy bronze age comic. It provides flourishes to the world which in turn creates a much richer experience. It is much about setting a tone as it is about telling the story.
Roberto De La Torre’s art is phenomenal and the main selling point for the comic. While Zub’s writing is great here and captures the tone that works best for Conan, but it would be for want if there wasn’t art to complement it. De La Torre just hits it out of the park here. His style is reminiscent of classic Bronze Age art with heavy brushwork and just powerful energy in the page composition. The art is in the vein of Burne Hogarth and Frank Frazetta coupled with John Buscema. De La Torre just showing a masterclass in storytelling and energy.
Then there are action scenes that are positively breathtaking to read and detailed in a way that just makes it pure eye candy. For example, the Sack of Venarium is violent and bloody but well composed that you can easily make sense of the action. There isn’t a point in the action sequences where anything is misleading. Then there are these moments where Conan receives a vision that utilizes the double-page spread in a mesmerizing way that contrasts the relatively clear action sequences by being this collage of different visions that are dream-like in its mystery and confusion.
The colours complement De La Torre’s line work and page compositions by setting the mood and the energy of many pages. The colour Jose Villarrubia duties are split between (FCBD and Issue #1) and Dean White (Issues #2-4). Both artists have subtle differences in their colour palate choices with Villarrubia seemingly quicker to use stark contrasting colours for backgrounds such a fuchsias and yellows, and White more likely to favour more subtle colours or just stark white backgrounds in the form of negative space. Yet, the differences are subtle, and the overall colouring style is uniform across the 5 issues. They both employ a more gauche approach that gives the comic a more painterly look that elevates it to its classic sword and sorcery fantasy roots.
The use of stark white backdrops creates interesting negative space that Richard Starkings takes advantage of and letters straight onto the background and not in a caption box. This coupled with the font selection makes for a comic that looks and feels like it belongs in the bronze age. Starkings is a master at pulling the reader’s eyes across the page and the places he would put the narration was often inventive. Additionally, the caption placement provided a rhythm to the comic that gave it the feeling of being epic.
After saying all of this, there are some flaws with Conan The Barbarian – Bound in Black Stone. Most of these are endemic to the genre itself and trappings that just come with this type of story. The main one being how Brissa is written off. In most Sword and Sorcery stories (pulp stories in general, to be honest) you can’t have your leading male character settle down with a partner. The genre doesn’t lend itself to that as the lead is often wondering the countryside and acting like a male power fantasy in slaying monsters, righting wrongs, and sleeping with buxom babes.
Now, the usual way of resolving the conflict of not having your male lead settle down is by killing the love interest. Bound in Black Stone doesn’t do that, at least. Instead, Brissa is written off as having gone back into the Citadel of Black Stone to help Conan and the others escape. It is implied that she dies in the collapse of the Citadel, but there isn’t a body. It is likely Brissa will return when an adventure calls for it. That’s fine. It just annoyed me that she isn’t even shown going back into the Citadel. There is a moment where, after getting the prisoners to safety, she decides to return to the Citadel, but it isn’t shown. I am glad that Zub subverts the expectation here, but I would have liked to see more closure on her fate or at least certainty of her actions. This is admittedly a minor quibble, and the genre is known to do far worse with its female characters, but I wanted to see more.
Overall, Conan the Barbarian – Bound in Black Stone is a great entry point for anyone interested in reading Conan comics. The writing is extremely well done, and the art is stunning. Conan is a captivating character and the standard bearer of Sword and Sorcery stories for a reason. This is no exception. The flaws are along the lines of these types of stories, though. I highly recommend fans of Conan or Sword and Sorcery to check it out. It’s a violently good time.
February 20, 2024
This collects the Free Comic Book Day 2023 issue (a great introduction to the character done in the style of a Prince Valiant comic strip) and issues 1-4 of the ongoing comic. There are also some essays and a gorgeous map of the Hyborian Age.
The Bound in Black Stone storyline has lots of action and a mystery that is solved by the end while also setting things up for future stories. References to various Robert E. Howard stories and characters were a nice touch. While I enjoyed the story I absolutely loved the artwork.
The Bound in Black Stone storyline has lots of action and a mystery that is solved by the end while also setting things up for future stories. References to various Robert E. Howard stories and characters were a nice touch. While I enjoyed the story I absolutely loved the artwork.
August 4, 2024
Honestly struggled to finish. Maybe I'm just not a Conan fan but this was a bore.
January 3, 2024
What a ride, Zub has owned this. Great story, great lore and some fantastic Easter eggs for what maybe to come - cant recommend highly enough. REH would be proud.
April 1, 2024
Conan is in this story still early in his career, and with the help of Brissa, a Picta warrior, he will face a cursed army whose warriors resemble zombies. Beautiful as usual, but I have a special fondness for comics featuring Conan the Barbarian.
Conan é in questa storia ancora all'inizio della sua carriera e con l'aiuto di Brissa, una guerriera Picta, si troverá ad affrontare un esercito maledetto, i cui guerrieri assomigliano a degli zombie. Bello come al solito, ma io ho una passione speciale per i fumetti che hanno come protagonista Conan il barbaro.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Conan é in questa storia ancora all'inizio della sua carriera e con l'aiuto di Brissa, una guerriera Picta, si troverá ad affrontare un esercito maledetto, i cui guerrieri assomigliano a degli zombie. Bello come al solito, ma io ho una passione speciale per i fumetti che hanno come protagonista Conan il barbaro.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
October 29, 2023
Great volume, de la Torre excels on drawing the Cimmerian and Zub channels his inner Roy Thomas.
Titan also offers a lot of material in every issues with a great variety of covers to choose from so the move away from Marvel has been good so far
Titan also offers a lot of material in every issues with a great variety of covers to choose from so the move away from Marvel has been good so far
April 3, 2024
This is an arc that knows *exactly* what it wants to be. Conan never really interested me, but I love Zub's work and have heard good things, so I grabbed the trade. I'm glad I did. Still not my go-to comic genre, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.
August 12, 2024
The art is fine but the story's meh.
August 22, 2024
The first three issues of Titan Comics new "Conan the Barbarian" line is outstanding. Mr. Zub has ushered in a new exciting era of Conan that I hope lasts a very long time.
Want to read
February 17, 2024Nuevo reboot de Conan
January 4, 2024
Conan The Barbarian is the barbarian archtype, when Robert E. Howard created him he also basically created not just the Barbarian fantasy character but also slotted him into the wandering antihero genre which suited pulp fiction perfectly. You can do a short story, and bring as much or as little baggage as you want with you. This run, by Jim Zub (who has fantasy previous with Skullkickers) comes after a weird and somewhat incongruous sojourn of Conan in the Marvel Universe, where he even had his own team of Avengers built around him. The rights got bought out by Titan and its clear with this volume that we are back to the stoical wanderer, getting involved in something at his doorstep, righting a wrong because it is there. There is one Conan story, it is every Conan story.
Zub tries to tie this in to Howard's work, there is a nifty prologue telling a vague origin of Conan's wandering, and the tale is set relatively early in Conan's career (it suggests a first encounter with Thulsa Doom after all). Conan is lodging in a village which first encounters a Pict scout with a warning, and then the zombified horde that is the substance of the warning. Everyone dies bar them, and Conan realises the horde is heading for his homeland of Cimmeria and goes to save the day. He romances, he kills, he has a slightly trippy interrogation with powers beyond his ken. And at the end it might as well not have happened, time for another adventure of the week. This is a positive thing, this kind of storytelling is great for the newcomer and is classic Conan. The real draw in some ways is the art by Roberto De La Torre who has that grimy but clear expressionism of fights, and the nicely washed out colourwork. There is one Conan story, and there are a lot of them out there. If you don't want to real one from the seventies, or nineties, and you want it to be completely accessible, this would work well enough too.
Zub tries to tie this in to Howard's work, there is a nifty prologue telling a vague origin of Conan's wandering, and the tale is set relatively early in Conan's career (it suggests a first encounter with Thulsa Doom after all). Conan is lodging in a village which first encounters a Pict scout with a warning, and then the zombified horde that is the substance of the warning. Everyone dies bar them, and Conan realises the horde is heading for his homeland of Cimmeria and goes to save the day. He romances, he kills, he has a slightly trippy interrogation with powers beyond his ken. And at the end it might as well not have happened, time for another adventure of the week. This is a positive thing, this kind of storytelling is great for the newcomer and is classic Conan. The real draw in some ways is the art by Roberto De La Torre who has that grimy but clear expressionism of fights, and the nicely washed out colourwork. There is one Conan story, and there are a lot of them out there. If you don't want to real one from the seventies, or nineties, and you want it to be completely accessible, this would work well enough too.
December 29, 2023
It’s always a pleasure to read Conan and this graphic novel is excellent from start to finish, great story, great artwork, more please
August 3, 2023
Great first issue, excited to see what this new incarnation of the Hyborean Hero will bring!
March 15, 2024
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 5.0 of 5
I have not been this excited about a Conan graphic novel or comic book since the 1970's!
The story is set early in Conan's life (it's his first encounter with Thulsa Doom) but it is not (thankfully) an 'origin' story. Even so, those not familiar with the character will get a good understanding of who Conan is.
While visiting a small village, Conan encounters a Pict warrior scout. But before he can dispose of her, a horde of zombies invades and he and the Pict are the only survivors (by fighting together). They come to trust one another, warily. But Conan wants to get to Cimmeria, his home, before the zombies do.
There is fighting, there is magic, there are some unexpected surprises, and there is sex/love-making along the way.
Jim Zub is the author here and does a really fine job of giving us (those of us long familiar with the character) the Conan that we want - not quite a superhero but a man who doesn't take shit from anyone and who has the strength and dexterity to be an imposing figure. It's a comic book storyline rather than a made-for-graphic novel storyline, meaning we get some repetition of what's happened before (not too much here) and the book doesn't have a clear ending (which I don't like). But the fact that the story keeps going is good, because that means there'll be more!
I really liked the female protagonist to Conan here. She's a fantastic successor to Red Sonja. Strong and willful in her own right, she doesn't 'need' Conan but sees the advantage in being with him for a time. Given what I read here, I'd read a graphic novel of her own exploits.
The art by Rob de la Torre is just outstanding! I honestly didn't think anyone would ever capture the Conan stories as well as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Ernie Chan, or even Alfredo Alcala but de la Torre's work here is definitely going to become the new standard to which all future Conan artists are compared. I am an immediate fan.
I rarely mention the coloring in a graphic novel, lumping it in (in my mind, at least) with the art in general, but I feel the desire to call out colorists Dean White and Jose Villarruba here. I have a real fondness for B&W art and Marvel's old The Savage Sword of Conan (1974-1995) was (in its early days at least) one of my all-time favorite magazines. I didn't think it would be possible to add color and still capture the tone of the stories without making it so dark it would be hard to see, but White and Villarruba create some phenomenal colors here helping it to look dark without actually being too dark.
The book concludes with a short essay "Robert E. Howard and His Ages Undreamed Of" by Jeffrey Shanks. This was a fine piece of Howard history, but it didn't add anything to the book for me. I'd rather have had more pages of graphic novel story. I did, however, appreciate the two-page spread art piece titled "Robert E. Howard Group Shot" by Rafael Kayanan - a drawing in family portrait style of a wide variety of Robert E. Howard's more familiar characters (in all genres).
This book just might get me buying comics again - at least the new Conan title.
Looking for a good book? Conan fans rejoice! The graphic novel Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone is our Hyborian hero just the way we expect him to be.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
I have not been this excited about a Conan graphic novel or comic book since the 1970's!
The story is set early in Conan's life (it's his first encounter with Thulsa Doom) but it is not (thankfully) an 'origin' story. Even so, those not familiar with the character will get a good understanding of who Conan is.
While visiting a small village, Conan encounters a Pict warrior scout. But before he can dispose of her, a horde of zombies invades and he and the Pict are the only survivors (by fighting together). They come to trust one another, warily. But Conan wants to get to Cimmeria, his home, before the zombies do.
There is fighting, there is magic, there are some unexpected surprises, and there is sex/love-making along the way.
Jim Zub is the author here and does a really fine job of giving us (those of us long familiar with the character) the Conan that we want - not quite a superhero but a man who doesn't take shit from anyone and who has the strength and dexterity to be an imposing figure. It's a comic book storyline rather than a made-for-graphic novel storyline, meaning we get some repetition of what's happened before (not too much here) and the book doesn't have a clear ending (which I don't like). But the fact that the story keeps going is good, because that means there'll be more!
I really liked the female protagonist to Conan here. She's a fantastic successor to Red Sonja. Strong and willful in her own right, she doesn't 'need' Conan but sees the advantage in being with him for a time. Given what I read here, I'd read a graphic novel of her own exploits.
The art by Rob de la Torre is just outstanding! I honestly didn't think anyone would ever capture the Conan stories as well as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Ernie Chan, or even Alfredo Alcala but de la Torre's work here is definitely going to become the new standard to which all future Conan artists are compared. I am an immediate fan.
I rarely mention the coloring in a graphic novel, lumping it in (in my mind, at least) with the art in general, but I feel the desire to call out colorists Dean White and Jose Villarruba here. I have a real fondness for B&W art and Marvel's old The Savage Sword of Conan (1974-1995) was (in its early days at least) one of my all-time favorite magazines. I didn't think it would be possible to add color and still capture the tone of the stories without making it so dark it would be hard to see, but White and Villarruba create some phenomenal colors here helping it to look dark without actually being too dark.
The book concludes with a short essay "Robert E. Howard and His Ages Undreamed Of" by Jeffrey Shanks. This was a fine piece of Howard history, but it didn't add anything to the book for me. I'd rather have had more pages of graphic novel story. I did, however, appreciate the two-page spread art piece titled "Robert E. Howard Group Shot" by Rafael Kayanan - a drawing in family portrait style of a wide variety of Robert E. Howard's more familiar characters (in all genres).
This book just might get me buying comics again - at least the new Conan title.
Looking for a good book? Conan fans rejoice! The graphic novel Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone is our Hyborian hero just the way we expect him to be.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Read
February 1, 2024Leaving aside the broader question of why there's even such a thing as an official Conan licence in 2024 when Conan's creator died in 1936: recently Marvel lost said licence again, this time to Titan, who here take advantage of that fresh start by immediately hiring...Jim Zub, the writer behind some of the less interesting Conan comics of the second Marvel run. Meaning I approached this with more unhealthy curiosity than enthusiasm. But it swiftly becomes apparent what was wanted, and where Marvel went wrong: they put Conan into modern Marvel comics, sometimes literally*, whereas this feels much more like an homage to the original seventies run, right down to the credits listing the creative team as Grim Jim Zub, Ravaging Rob de la Torre, and Villainous Jose Villarubia. Not even those comics as they'll feel if you buy the fancy new editions advertised in the back, though, with the colours bright on high-quality paper, but how they look on faded newsprint originals - or maybe, even beyond that, magical memories of those originals, years after reading. In short, the vibes of the art are perfect, the colours muted without being drab in a way that conjures the appropriate storybook mood. Though it's good that the mood is caught so well, because the details aren't as reliable; faces can distort a little too far at times of high emotion, and there's a sword whose crucial role in the plot is not enough to ensure its hilt is always the same way round.
As for the story...well, mostly it threads the needle of avoiding the dodgier aspects of the originals (in either the thirties or seventies sense) while keeping the majority of the feel, sometimes down to exact phrases (take a drink for "cat-like speed"). And if Zub sometimes gets carried away with the pastiche and uses a word that doesn't quite mean what he wants it to, well, the charitable interpretation is that this too reads like emulating Roy Thomas scripts. I was going to say that the adventure, in which Conan and a beautiful Pictish scout fight an undead army, feels back-to-basics compared to the ambition of something like the Aaron/Asrar run, that like the art it's more concerned with slotting easily alongside the sort of Conan stories you'd get back in the day. But then Jeffrey Shanks' afterword** makes clear that actually it connects to the wider Robert E Howard legendarium, so maybe not. Still, a much better - and more explicable - read than I'd expected.
*Though if only Conan's arrival at Titan had overlapped with the Doctor Who licence there, imagine the possibilities of something similar - especially if the TARDIS had then taken him into their Rivers Of London series...
**Which also makes the 'interesting' decision to talk in some detail about the racial histories, the fascination with purity and degeneration, threaded through Howard's imagined prehistory, without any acknowledgement of the awkward real-world implications thereof.
(Netgalley ARC)
As for the story...well, mostly it threads the needle of avoiding the dodgier aspects of the originals (in either the thirties or seventies sense) while keeping the majority of the feel, sometimes down to exact phrases (take a drink for "cat-like speed"). And if Zub sometimes gets carried away with the pastiche and uses a word that doesn't quite mean what he wants it to, well, the charitable interpretation is that this too reads like emulating Roy Thomas scripts. I was going to say that the adventure, in which Conan and a beautiful Pictish scout fight an undead army, feels back-to-basics compared to the ambition of something like the Aaron/Asrar run, that like the art it's more concerned with slotting easily alongside the sort of Conan stories you'd get back in the day. But then Jeffrey Shanks' afterword** makes clear that actually it connects to the wider Robert E Howard legendarium, so maybe not. Still, a much better - and more explicable - read than I'd expected.
*Though if only Conan's arrival at Titan had overlapped with the Doctor Who licence there, imagine the possibilities of something similar - especially if the TARDIS had then taken him into their Rivers Of London series...
**Which also makes the 'interesting' decision to talk in some detail about the racial histories, the fascination with purity and degeneration, threaded through Howard's imagined prehistory, without any acknowledgement of the awkward real-world implications thereof.
(Netgalley ARC)
December 30, 2023
Marvel lost the Conan licence to Titan Comics along with the creative team of Jim Zub and Roberto de la Torre who also moved over, having previously worked on Conan at Marvel. I’m not a big fan of Conan or fantasy in general but I heard good things about this one - and maybe the title would be good without Marvel editorial’s stinkbomb touch?
Disappointingly, nope - this one wasn’t for me. On paper it’s a good fit. Jim Zub is the perfect writer to be relaunching Conan the Barbarian. Not only because he used to write the character, but he’s been writing fantasy for years. Skullkickers was solid and he also wrote some D&D comics - the pedigree is there. Roberto de la Torre is a fine artist too - this book doesn’t look bad at all (maybe a bit dark - though that’s on colourist Dean White too).
But it’s such a boring read! Conan is the archetypal barbarian character in fantasy and Zub delivers simply that: an archetypal barbarian fantasy story. There’s a monster in black stone and (for the umpteenth time) Thulsa Doom that are bringing the undead scourge and lizard men in human form to threaten the land - Conan and other one-dimensional warrior characters smash ‘em. That’s all Conan ever does too: hits stuff that gets in his way, moves on, repeat ad infinitum.
Besides his rote actions, Conan doesn’t have much of a personality. He’s stoic and barely speaks so Zub has to fill the page with Robert E. Howard-esque prose that adds absolutely nothing to what we’re seeing on the page, which is usually Conan stabbing someone with a sword, so it’s just a dreary and pointless slog to read through (Howard was not a great or entertaining writer).
Conan clearly has his fans as his continued publications attest to, though I remain mystified as to what they see in him; to me, he’s a wholly uninteresting protagonist and his adventures are the same dull thing over and over, decade after decade. Conan the Barbarian, Volume 1: Bound in Black Stone only further confirms to me that Conan and fantasy comics aren’t my bag, whoever’s publishing them.
Disappointingly, nope - this one wasn’t for me. On paper it’s a good fit. Jim Zub is the perfect writer to be relaunching Conan the Barbarian. Not only because he used to write the character, but he’s been writing fantasy for years. Skullkickers was solid and he also wrote some D&D comics - the pedigree is there. Roberto de la Torre is a fine artist too - this book doesn’t look bad at all (maybe a bit dark - though that’s on colourist Dean White too).
But it’s such a boring read! Conan is the archetypal barbarian character in fantasy and Zub delivers simply that: an archetypal barbarian fantasy story. There’s a monster in black stone and (for the umpteenth time) Thulsa Doom that are bringing the undead scourge and lizard men in human form to threaten the land - Conan and other one-dimensional warrior characters smash ‘em. That’s all Conan ever does too: hits stuff that gets in his way, moves on, repeat ad infinitum.
Besides his rote actions, Conan doesn’t have much of a personality. He’s stoic and barely speaks so Zub has to fill the page with Robert E. Howard-esque prose that adds absolutely nothing to what we’re seeing on the page, which is usually Conan stabbing someone with a sword, so it’s just a dreary and pointless slog to read through (Howard was not a great or entertaining writer).
Conan clearly has his fans as his continued publications attest to, though I remain mystified as to what they see in him; to me, he’s a wholly uninteresting protagonist and his adventures are the same dull thing over and over, decade after decade. Conan the Barbarian, Volume 1: Bound in Black Stone only further confirms to me that Conan and fantasy comics aren’t my bag, whoever’s publishing them.
April 14, 2024
I really loved this collection. I will start out by saying I am not the biggest Conan fan BUT handled right I do love a good sword and sorcery adventure. I think my problem with Conan is that he often is written with very little personality. Not that this writer adds a lot of personality to Conan but he did the smart thing and gave him a companion to bounce off of (and on *wink*).
But the first reason I love this collection is the art. Man, that is some perfect Conan art. Rob De La Torre creates page after page of beautiful art that is both wonderful to look at and perfect story telling. The colours are great - the inking - and inventive panel layouts. Everything worked for me. And when the story is that simplistic you need the art to be a home run to keep me engaged.
The story is solid, especially the inclusion of the pict female warrior. I deducted a star because the resolution of the story was a huge deux ex machina (a ghost from the afterlife rescues Conan) with no build up to justify it. But hey I will forgive it. I just wish it could have been a bit more clever ending. The story is basically "zombies are ravaging the countryside and Conan with is new friend track them back to their source and kill the head priest". One person, not wrongly, said "Roy Thomas would have done this in one issue instead of four". Although the longer story did allow for more suspense and upped the stakes a bit more. I just wish there had been a bit more to the story than what we got. But it was still a typical Conan story and well done.
Overall - very impressed. Especially with the art.
But the first reason I love this collection is the art. Man, that is some perfect Conan art. Rob De La Torre creates page after page of beautiful art that is both wonderful to look at and perfect story telling. The colours are great - the inking - and inventive panel layouts. Everything worked for me. And when the story is that simplistic you need the art to be a home run to keep me engaged.
The story is solid, especially the inclusion of the pict female warrior. I deducted a star because the resolution of the story was a huge deux ex machina (a ghost from the afterlife rescues Conan) with no build up to justify it. But hey I will forgive it. I just wish it could have been a bit more clever ending. The story is basically "zombies are ravaging the countryside and Conan with is new friend track them back to their source and kill the head priest". One person, not wrongly, said "Roy Thomas would have done this in one issue instead of four". Although the longer story did allow for more suspense and upped the stakes a bit more. I just wish there had been a bit more to the story than what we got. But it was still a typical Conan story and well done.
Overall - very impressed. Especially with the art.
March 21, 2024
From the character who seems to have had more Number Ones than a public toilet on a busy day, comes this re-re-re-reboot. After a prologue that shows us how and why he first took up arms we see him at a crossroads in life, perhaps wondering if his solitary, nomadic days are ideal. But lo and behold along comes a buxom beauty to try and warn the settlement of an army of zombified Picts she has been tracking. Together – in more ways than one, of course – they try their best to make sure the deadly undead don't get whatever it is they want.
And whatever that it is is bodged somewhat by the structure of the story – one time they're zombies, harvesting human corpses, then the concentration of the plot is this and then it's that, and it's not really coherent enough. Yes, it's timeless evil, but that Lovecraftian catch-all fits ill with the Conan world that was always so well-built, with this tribe north of that tribe, and that river separating those two peoples etc. So it's all a bit random here – but not completely sinfully. The writing nudges the text towards the old excess, especially at one mention of the blood being spilled, but this is not as stodgy, up-itself and hokum as some. There are, after all, only so many ways a fit bird can get Conan into battle – the way it happens here is pretty much as successful as it can get – three and a half stars.
And whatever that it is is bodged somewhat by the structure of the story – one time they're zombies, harvesting human corpses, then the concentration of the plot is this and then it's that, and it's not really coherent enough. Yes, it's timeless evil, but that Lovecraftian catch-all fits ill with the Conan world that was always so well-built, with this tribe north of that tribe, and that river separating those two peoples etc. So it's all a bit random here – but not completely sinfully. The writing nudges the text towards the old excess, especially at one mention of the blood being spilled, but this is not as stodgy, up-itself and hokum as some. There are, after all, only so many ways a fit bird can get Conan into battle – the way it happens here is pretty much as successful as it can get – three and a half stars.
May 31, 2024
Nachdem er bei Marvel rausgeflogen ist, hat Conan auf einem Schiff angeheuert und sich auf den Weg über den Atlantik gemacht und ist bei Titan in Großbritannien gelandet, wo er weiterhin das machen darf, was er am besten kann: kämpfen. Und dafür sorgt alleine schon Jim Zub!
Conan ist ein weitgereister Mann, der die Welt außerhalb Cimmeriens ausreichend kennen gelernt hat, überaus zahlreiche körperliche Auseinandersetzungen haben ihn abgehärtet und jetzt ist er fast wieder daheim, nahe seinem Geburtsort. Jetzt möchte er nichts mehr als endlich mal zur Ruhe kommen, doch daraus wird so schnell nichts, denn die schöne Piktin Brissa reitet in das Dorf ein und will die Einwohner vor einer heranstürmenden Armee warnen, doch die ist schneller da als es den beiden lieb ist und der Barbar sieht sich mit einer Horde verfluchter Zombies konfrontiert, die ebenfalls aus dem Gebiet der Pikten stammen.
Conan hat nicht wirklich in die Superheldenwelt von Marvel gepasst, wo er ein Team mit den Avengers gebildet hat, bei Titan ist er wieder auf sich alleine gestellt und das hebt die Qualität des Comics ungemein, man darf den Cimmerier wieder in seinem Ursprungszustand erleben – der des einsamen Rächers, wobei er hier tatkräftige Unterstützung von einer piktischen Kriegerin erhält. Hier kommt er auch mit weniger Sprechblasen aus, dafür gibt es mehr Textkästchen mit dem Storyverlauf.
Conan ist ein weitgereister Mann, der die Welt außerhalb Cimmeriens ausreichend kennen gelernt hat, überaus zahlreiche körperliche Auseinandersetzungen haben ihn abgehärtet und jetzt ist er fast wieder daheim, nahe seinem Geburtsort. Jetzt möchte er nichts mehr als endlich mal zur Ruhe kommen, doch daraus wird so schnell nichts, denn die schöne Piktin Brissa reitet in das Dorf ein und will die Einwohner vor einer heranstürmenden Armee warnen, doch die ist schneller da als es den beiden lieb ist und der Barbar sieht sich mit einer Horde verfluchter Zombies konfrontiert, die ebenfalls aus dem Gebiet der Pikten stammen.
Conan hat nicht wirklich in die Superheldenwelt von Marvel gepasst, wo er ein Team mit den Avengers gebildet hat, bei Titan ist er wieder auf sich alleine gestellt und das hebt die Qualität des Comics ungemein, man darf den Cimmerier wieder in seinem Ursprungszustand erleben – der des einsamen Rächers, wobei er hier tatkräftige Unterstützung von einer piktischen Kriegerin erhält. Hier kommt er auch mit weniger Sprechblasen aus, dafür gibt es mehr Textkästchen mit dem Storyverlauf.
February 28, 2024
Jim Zub decides to adopt a very literary style for his Conan the Barbarian, full of captions dense with text, as if he were adapting a story, as Roy Thomas often did. It's a fair premise for a new Conan book, but one that doesn't work.
There are just so many problems. His first couple of issues, his writing style is too bare and so if you compare it to Howard it comes up short. But after that, as his text becomes better pastiche, it still doesn't serve its place in a comic. There's too much description of the exact action shown in the panel and too often it's just ... boring. The fact that most of the comic is very decompressed makes this worse.
There's definitely a lot to like in the comic. The new character of Brissa is great, until the last issue when she disappears. The supernatural plague feels very Howardian. The Kull connections are a nice touch. The art is attractive.
But the writing just doesn't hold up to these nuances of plotting and illustration.
There are just so many problems. His first couple of issues, his writing style is too bare and so if you compare it to Howard it comes up short. But after that, as his text becomes better pastiche, it still doesn't serve its place in a comic. There's too much description of the exact action shown in the panel and too often it's just ... boring. The fact that most of the comic is very decompressed makes this worse.
There's definitely a lot to like in the comic. The new character of Brissa is great, until the last issue when she disappears. The supernatural plague feels very Howardian. The Kull connections are a nice touch. The art is attractive.
But the writing just doesn't hold up to these nuances of plotting and illustration.
April 1, 2024
The fine folks at Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures sent me this wonderful thing and I finally sat down with it today, and just…Crom-dammit, whatta perfect Sunday read. And what a tremendous reorientation of Conan comics for the general reader.
Zub’s credentials are already pretty well established at this point, but this new series is an incredible upshift from him and the artists. More blood, more contained stories (that also threaten to branch out into a more serialized bent which is really impressive), and more sprawling poeticism that’s far more in line with the original Thomas runs and even old school Savage Sword (which also rules again; find out how much at Dis-member.com!)
Speaking of, I’m probably gonna review this proper over there, so I’ll wrap this up but like…fuck yeah. It’s brutal, beautiful, and insanely user friendly. Get on it, new fans and seasoned Cimmerian scholars.
Zub’s credentials are already pretty well established at this point, but this new series is an incredible upshift from him and the artists. More blood, more contained stories (that also threaten to branch out into a more serialized bent which is really impressive), and more sprawling poeticism that’s far more in line with the original Thomas runs and even old school Savage Sword (which also rules again; find out how much at Dis-member.com!)
Speaking of, I’m probably gonna review this proper over there, so I’ll wrap this up but like…fuck yeah. It’s brutal, beautiful, and insanely user friendly. Get on it, new fans and seasoned Cimmerian scholars.
March 23, 2024
An spectacular introduction to anew CONAN era
Jim Zub takes his experience on the character from his Marvel Run, And teams up in this volume with spanish artist Roberto De la Torre, to start the Conan saga in Titan Comics.
For fans of the original classic series, De la Torre channels his inner John Buscema to pain the world of Hyboria as unforgiving as it may be, pitting Conan and a bunch of unlikely allies to stand against a horde of the undead powered by unnatural means.
I loved the fact that this book has some sweet extras like editorial notes and the mission statement of Heroic Signatures, a thumbnail cover gallery, and also the fact that this book had three cover to select from.
A must read for every Conan fan.
Jim Zub takes his experience on the character from his Marvel Run, And teams up in this volume with spanish artist Roberto De la Torre, to start the Conan saga in Titan Comics.
For fans of the original classic series, De la Torre channels his inner John Buscema to pain the world of Hyboria as unforgiving as it may be, pitting Conan and a bunch of unlikely allies to stand against a horde of the undead powered by unnatural means.
I loved the fact that this book has some sweet extras like editorial notes and the mission statement of Heroic Signatures, a thumbnail cover gallery, and also the fact that this book had three cover to select from.
A must read for every Conan fan.
June 24, 2024
WOW! This was like reading old Conan comics, even down to the look of it! "Bound in Black Stone" is a classic tale of Conan going up against tremendous odds and fighting through them to win the day. How a basic plot like that can be divided up into something so epic just shows how much Conan is the precursor for so many other heroes (First to my mind are He-Man and Kratos). Makes me want to watch a Conan movie...
If you are a fan, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
Strong recommend!
If you are a fan, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
Strong recommend!
July 13, 2024
A thoroughly enjoyable introduction to Conan. A new reader to Conan would be well-served by starting with the stories conveyed here before delving further into Howard or the many previous comic book adaptations. The artwork is beautiful, ranging from visceral depictions of combat to surrealistic images of Conan's mystical experiences. Finally, don't skip reading the essays by Jeffrey Shanks at the end, as they succinctly describe the mythos behind the characters and tales in this book.
February 16, 2024
Hearkens back to the old school Conan comics of the 70's which I thought would be a good thing. But this thing is packed with so much overwrought prose that it drags and drags. I'm really surprised because Zub's wrote a bunch of good fantasy comics. De La Torre seems to be channeling some John Buscema on art too. But this thing was a stinker. Just go buy an old Conan omnibus instead.
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