Conan the Barbarian. The name evokes many images. Some involve Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jason Momoa. Most feature a long-haired, muscle-bound man with a scantily clad (if clad at all) woman clutching his leg. This is somewhat unfair. For while the most popular images of Conan were born of film and fantasy art, his soul was born of a rich literary tradition and informed by historical epics.
Texan author Robert E. Howard wrote twenty stories and one novel featuring Conan, who was easily the most popular of his creations. Conan went on to live a second life under a succession of authors, most of them working in the comic book medium. That brings us to Bound in Black Stone—the first Conan volume published by Titan Comics since that publisher won the Conan license in 2023.
The prologue of Bound in Black Stone was originally published as a 2023 Free Comic Book Day special. It details a teenage Conan’s first experience as a warrior, joining his countrymen in raiding the fortress at Vernarium and killing the Aquilonian soldiers invading their land. This, and the sight of an elegant sword with strange markings, set the blacksmith’s son on the road south, to adventure and a legendary life.
The story picks up eight years later, by which point Conan has become an experienced mercenary and seen much of the nations immediately north, south and east of his native Cimmeria. Finding himself in north Aquilonia, and at liberty after punching his former commanding officer, Conan ponders a return to his home village and an end to his travels. Such thoughts are quickly forgotten, however, as an army of the dead attacks the tavern where Conan ponders his future while sampling the local ale. This leads to an unlikely alliance with a Pictish warrior—the sworn enemies of his people—and a battle with a dark power that reaches beyond time and space!
Jim Zub is rightly recognized as one of the best authors to work in modern fantasy comics, having written both his original series, Skullkickers, and various tie-ins for the Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder lines. He is also something of a Robert E. Howard scholar, and his love for the original Conan stories is apparent in his writing. Zub weaves subtle references to the Hyborian mythos into his stories, even as he spins ripping yarns that do credit to the legacy of Conan. As such, Bound in Black Stone is sure to satisfy Conan completists, while remaining accessible to new audiences.
Zub’s scripts are perfectly envisioned by Rob De La Torre. His style has invited comparison to other great Conan comic artists, like John Buscema and Barry Windsor-Smith, being vividly detailed yet crystal clear in their scope. Yet De La Torre’s style is all his own and a perfect fit for the Hyborian Age. The colors of José Villarrubia are also noteworthy, adding the perfect finishing touches to the artwork.
Titan Comics has rated this first volume of Conan comics for audiences 17 and up. I believe that is a fair assessment. There is blood. There are severed limbs. There are horrifying zombies with rotting flesh. There are also unclad women and, at one point, a bare-bottomed Conan. The nudity is not gratuitous and the one sex scene quite tasteful. Nevertheless, this is not the recent Marvel Comics Conan series. Indeed, it is even more intended for mature audiences than the Dark Horse Comics Conan of the early 21st century. Those audiences, however, will find Bound in Black Stone to be a thrilling tale of an age undreamed of.
Conan the Barbarian: Bound In Black Stone  Vol. 1
By Jim Zub
Art by Robert De La Torre
Titan, 2024
ISBN: 9781787740143
Publisher Age Rating:Â 17+
Series ISBNs and Order
Related media:Â Classic to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
