CONAN THE BARBARIAN #29 introduces a new villain to the Hyborian Age. What did readers think of this kick-off to our eighth story arc?

• 9 Panel Grid: “It’s a pretty brave move to have a Conan book missing the namesake character for almost the entire issue, but it speaks to the strength and trust of the Conan team to deliver an incredible story about influence, corruption and brutality…Braithwaite on artwork killed it. The visuals were stunning.”

• American Texan Reads: “If you have never read Conan, issue 29 is a great place to jump on…I think this is great.”

• Comic Book Corner 2.0: “Even though Conan was not in this, it was still entertaining.”

• Comic Culture: “I love the interior artwork. It is so good. Braithwaite has the best interior artwork for a Conan title I can imagine…I thought it was a spectacular issue. I cannot wait for more. Like I say, over and over again, everything Conan the Barbarian right now is a must read, from Barbarian to Savage Sword.”

• Comical Opinions: 9/10 “-a nightmare antagonist with teeth-grinding precision, priming epic clashes via blood-drenched origins. Does it earn a place amid ongoing sagas? Unequivocally yes.”

• Cool Thunder: 9/10 “It is hard to put the book down, and when it is over you are left salivating for more epic sword and sorcery. Doug Braithwaite on art and Diego Rodriguez on colors continue to pull you deep into the Hyborian Age with stunning and immersive visuals.”

• Cupcakes Comics Reviews: “Every issue is a banger, every issue you’ll have fun because it’s so good and so well written…The art is Doug Braithwaite and he’s been killing it, slaying it, in fact.”

• Eternal Crusader: “One major strength of the current series from Titan Comics is that it doesn’t adhere to a rigid, pre-established plot formula. Instead, it tightens the narrative where necessary and allows it to unfold more expansively where the story demands it.”

• Fanlight Zone: “I could go on about how much I love Jim Zub’s work on this and I want him to keep writing it until the heat death of the universe, and how awesome the art is on every issue with Doug Braithwaite hitting it out of the goddamn park. I could go on and on, but all I’ve got to say is that it’s 10/10 every month.”

• First Comic News: “The tension is handled well, positioning this cold and calculating killer as a genuine threat…Next issue promises the inevitable clash between these two barbarians—a savage confrontation that feels destined to end in blood and certain death.”

• Gaming Trend: “If this issue is a preview of what we can expect from this new story arc, then we’re in for an exciting ride. It does a fantastic job of building this new antagonist up as someone who can truly challenge Conan”

• Gary B The Casual Comic Guy: A+ “At Titan Comics, Conan has felt fresh and new with the stories they’ve been telling and I’ve really enjoyed them…Just a brilliant job by the entire team and a solid issue, especially for those of you who love a good villain’s tale.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “Incredible storytelling! Zub and Braithwaite are a power house team in the world of fantasy comics…This whole issue is about establishing a new villain and it’s masterfully told.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “I love that Jim took the time to build up this character in one go, one issue. So now when things explode in future issues, I’ve got everything I need to know…I love this book. It’s stellar.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Zub is afforded the space to fully forge an antagonist of unspeakable malice, one whose corruption is rendered all the more harrowing through Braithwaite’s depiction of the boy’s descent into violence…It’s a darkly compelling, confident, and well executed entry.”

• Superhero Speak: 8/10 “It does a great job of character development and gets us excited for what’s going to happen in the future. The art is great, very detailed and does a great job of conveying the dark, grim and gritty tone we expect.”

• Thinking Critical: “It’s incredibly difficult to write an interesting and compelling story without your titular character…You need a strong motivation to understand where this villain is coming from so you can really root for our hero to take them down. I love it and the art is solid as well.”

Conan of Cimmeria and his forces fight a desperate battle against the oppressive Mad King Numedides of Aquilonia and only one will survive their final confrontation! What did reviewers think of the climax of our story arc?

• 9 Panel Grid: “Top Comic of the Week…The way everything has been laid out shows that the team on this book and everyone involved at Titan Comics with Jim Zub, the art team, everyone – they’re arguably just as strategic as Conan himself is on the battlefield.”

• American Texan Reads: “I love the way Jim writes these prose blocks here. It’s not overly done. It’s
beautifully descriptive. The art brings out the narration…Just beautiful art, beautiful storytelling. Absolutely loved this.”

• Comic Book Corner 2.0: “Top Indie Pick of the Week…it was great and the artwork is phenomenal. I love the narration in this book. Just another top notch independent and a phenomenal read.”

• Comic Culture: “Aesthetically, the book is phenomenal. The character designs, the environments, the dungeons, and everything else. The action, coloring and everything is absolutely perfect for a Conan book.”

• Comic Patrol: “Book of the week…This book is beautiful, month after month – writing, art, colors, letters – Everything about this book is constantly as good as comics get. Old fashioned without being ‘old fashioned’, modern without being ‘modern’ – It’s timeless!”

• Comical Opinions: 9/10 “You should absolutely make room in your monthly budget for this series because it represents the gold standard of modern adventure comics.”

• Cool Thunder: 10/10 “The art by Fernando Dagnino consistently delivers a sense of grand, glorious epic with every issue he pencils, and the color work by Diego Rodriguez brings each and every panel vividly to life. This issue is chock-full of action, massive battle scenes, and emotion on every page.”

• Cupcakes Comic Reviews: “It’s amazing and has got great art…Whenever it’s collected it’s going to be an amazing read. Even now in single issues I’m enjoying each and every one.”

• Eternal Crusader: “This is arguably Dagnino’s most epic issue to date and once again demonstrates how outstanding his panel composition and page layouts are…This run is something we will be talking about for a long time to come.”

• Fanlight Zone: “Fantastic art, kinetic energy just jumping off the page and Jim Zub murdering it on this book for 3 years now…This needs to be the best selling comic forever!”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “The narration is spot on and carries with it the voice of those days of 30s and 40s adventure writing. Political intrigue, a rising and unstoppable hero, and an epic showdown that leaves the reader feeling very satisfied are all present and accounted for, by Crom.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “The artwork by Dagnino is frickin’ fire in this book. Classic comic book awesomeness and the story gives us the same…Jim Zub is creating an entire new generation of Conan fans with his incredible work.”

• Scifi Pulse: 9.7/10 “Fernando Dagnino and Diego Rodriguez deliver some excellent work on this book…A satisfying end to what has been one of the most epic Conan stories in this series to date.”

• Stygian Dogs: “Readers of Heroic Signatures’ Conan the Barbarian are treated to yet another glimpse of the epic cosmic narrative Zub has been building and foreshadowing since issue #1. I remain eager to see it reach its climax.”

• Two Guys and a Stack of Comics: “This was one of the best issues of the series so far. I thought it was suitably dramatic and did a great job with so many things.”

• Thinking Critical: “This is easily my Pick of the Week…Definitely starting out 2026 on fire once again to be in competition for the best comic book of the year.”

• Void City Reviews: “I enjoyed the hell out of it. It’s well written, well drawn, and very well executed and could have possibly been Pick of the Week.”

The climax of our second Conan event mini-series arrived in stores last Wednesday – what did critics think of the big finish and the pieces it sets up for the future?

• 9 Panel Grid: “It feels like these events are stacking up and making a story unto themselves where one leads to the next and we get this great fleshing out of all the Robert E. Howard properties…I had a really good time with it.”

• Brother Lore: “As far as everything goes – the writing, the pacing, the suspense, who is behind it all (which I’m not going to reveal) and the art. This comic book is a culmination, an apex, and 100% worth it to go and either get the single issues or paperback.”

• Comic Culture: “Gil on the art spectacular. Love the art. Love the coloring inside the stories and I feel like I get my money’s worth when I read Conan every single time.”

• Comic Patrol: “This really impressed me and won me over in a big way…Holy smokes, did I ever love this.”

• Comical Opinions: 8/10 “Ivan Gil’s artwork on this issue is the strongest yet because he has to illustrate something that should not be illustratable: a god existing outside of time speaking directly to a human consciousness…A confident, ambitious final chapter that makes a genuine philosophical statement.”

• Cool Thunder: 9/10 “This issue brings everything together in a stunning and satisfying finale…Jim Zub continues to write with a sense of grandeur and mythology that feels unmatched in current comics, while Ivan Gil proceeds to artisticly deliver epic weight on every page.”

• Eternal Crusader: “It becomes evident Zub has been planting both subtle and more overt hints throughout his Conan run from the very beginning, all of which come together here in a harmonious way…Artist Ivan Gil unleashes a veritable fireworks display of epic spreads and striking panels. It’s a feast for the eyes, though by now that’s something I’ve come to expect given the consistently high quality of the artwork throughout Titan’s Conan run.”

• Fanlight Zone: “Conan by Titan and Heroic Signatures is one of the best books on the shelf every single month. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it – This crossover event has been fantastic…Awesome art and a really cool story.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “Ivan Gil’s artwork is a feast for the eyes, capturing the raw ferocity of battles and the eerie, otherworldly dread of the cosmic sequences with equal prowess. The colors pop with a gritty Hyborian palette. If you’re into pulp fantasy laced with cosmic chills, this is essential reading.”

• Major Spoilers: “I still enjoyed it very much, even though I’m not a big Robert E. Howard scholar or fan of all his work, and I was still able to follow it. It’s a very good four issue series.”

• Mighty Thorngren: “I usually don’t pay attention to the colorist much, but Jao Canola here is jumping. The colorists here really making the artwork pop. Everything feels so moody and perfect.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “The end of this book was masterful. This is a must-read if you’re following the work Jim Zub and company are doing on Conan, which is phenomenal work…The entire family of Conan books have become some of my favorite books to read.”

• Stygian Dogs: “A magnificent marker in this multi-year mission to deliver pulp adventure and mystery drawn from the wider cast of Robert E. Howard’s formidable stable of characters…The result is a story that raises the stakes and inexorably pulls readers along, thrusting us deeper into an encroaching mystery that leaves us eager and guessing for more.”

• Thinking Critical: “This issue’s foot is on the accelerator and it just flies by…It’s tension filled, fast-paced, well illustrated and once again left me wanting more.”

• Two Guys and a Stack of Comics: “This is build up. This is payoff. Great action, incredible art, and balancing different timelines, delivering stakes and I’ll give them credit – One of the coolest last page teases for what comes next.”

I’m honored to see Conan the Barbarian make it on to so many ‘Best of the Year’ lists. Working with this creative team is such a thrill. Our artists elevate every single story I put together and I could not be more proud of the work. Thank you for the enthusiastic support!

• 9 Panel Grid: “Zub continues to show his love and dedication to this character each and every issue, and make sure you check out issue #25 in particular as it’s one of the best single issue experiences you’ll have in 2025.”

• CBR: “Conan the Barbarian has always been home to brutal comic book action, and Jim Zub has given Robert E. Howard fans everything they could possibly want. It’s the greatest sword and sorcery comic in decades and the peak of what dark fantasy should be.”

• Comic Book Corner 2.0: “This book is absolutely phenomenal. If you’re not a Conan fan, the only thing I can say is give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

• Comic Culture: “The world of Conan feels complex and vast, making you want to go back and read from the beginning…There is an aesthetic that needs to be upheld and, in my opinion, each Conan book does that perfectly.”

• Comic Patrol: “I think it’s highly entertaining and extremely well written…It’s an exceptional read and always has beautiful artwork.”

• Larry’s Library: “Dare I say that Jim Zub is the next best Conan scribe after Robert E. Howard himself and the legendary Roy Thomas. There’s no higher praise I could give a writer on Conan than to say that.”

• The Sanctuary of Comics: “Comic book of the year is Conan the Barbarian #25…The brutality, melancholy, epic scale and artwork of Alex Horley. It’s absolutely stunning, powerful, savage and completely worthy of the Cimmerian.”

• Thinking Critical: “My #1 book of 2025, the best of the best, is Conan the Barbarian…Fernando Dagnino has done an amazing job and really gotten better every single issue. Jim Zub really is able to channel that inner Robert E. Howard…It’s so amazing just to read this. I’m loving every single issue.”

• Two Guys and a Stack of Comics: “The third year in a row that Conan the Barbarian is the #1 comic on our list…It’s enthralling, it’s incredible, it astounds me. It’s the best book of the year by far.”