Zub Tales

Just over a year ago we announced that Conan the Barbarian would be returning to comics through Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics. Now, at last, our first issues arrives. What do the critics think?

• AIPT: 8/10 “An all-star creative team and balls-to-the-wall execution make this take on Conan’s legend a winner. Longtime fans will be pleased with the start to this new era.”

• Brown Bag: “The adventure’s atmosphere brilliantly captures all the character, chaos, and sword-slashing carnage of the Cimmerian’s printed chronicles in ‘Weird Tales’.”

• ComicBook.com: “When it comes to invoking that nostalgia, Conan the Barbarian #1 overwhelmingly succeeds. The art is rough around the edges in a way that feels purposeful – an effort to achieve a throwback style.”

• Comic Book Dispatch: 9.5/10 “Like Roy Thomas, Grim Jim’s not afraid to thicken action with narrative or spice battles with dialogue. Anyone who suggests he hasn’t channeled the best traditions of Conan comics is a cowardly dog!”

• Comicon.com: 10/10 “The art is primal and energetic in a way that takes you along for the adventure. The story is brilliantly balanced between narration and dialog making it feel like the classic Conan stories I love.”

• Comic Crusaders: 10/10 “The old school stylings of the work of Zub, De La Torre, Villarrubia and Starkings go to prove how fantastic the comics of the past could be, by CROM!”

• Comic Lounge: “I just think it’s phenomenal. It really does feel like this could fit in so seamlessly with the original Conan run…I’m so excited for this book.”

• Comical Opinions: 9.5/10 “Jim Zub delivers a sword-slashing, brooding, action-packed debut worthy of Robert E. Howard fans, and Robert De La Torre’s art is a perfect homage to classic Conan comics.”

• Comics Beat: “Enlisting Zub and de la Torre made sure the first issue kicked things off with a vision that nurtures the scale and epic proportions of Robert Howard’s unique style of worldbuilding. If each comic in the new series is as beautiful, raw, and exciting as this one, then readers are in for a read that might just earn its spot among the greats.”

• D-Rock Steady: “It has everything you want – barbarians, boobs, bloodshed, and battles. Fantastic stuff and great artwork.”

• Evil’s Comics: “This was a fantastic read. If you are any form of a Conan fan, I highly recommend this book.”

• Fanboy Planet: “The narrative allows for quieter moments for world-building, which allows De La Torre to show off his terrific storytelling skills.”

• Games, Comics and Crafts: “Definitely get this book. It feels like Conan, it reads like Conan, it’s well written, the artwork’s really nice and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more…Buy it! You will not regret it.”

• Gary B the Casual Comic Guy: “This book really feels like they took the time and effort to pay proper homage to what came before while also creating something that’s their own. They didn’t ignore the past of Conan, they embraced it, they honored it…I can’t give it enough accolades…I felt like I was reading the Conan comics of my youth.”

• Geek Culture: 10/10 “…the perfect start for Titan Comics, and the creative team. For Zub and co. the character is their bread and butter, and it’s great seeing them all come together to craft this wonderful opening in perfect synergy.”

• Get Your Comic On: 10/10 “Hard hitting, intense story that will have you gripped to each page. Brutal and dramatic artwork hits the mark, if this issue is anything to go by we are in for a treat for the rest of this series.”

• Graphic Policy: 8.9/10 “I had high expectations going into Conan the Barbarian #1. Somehow it met all of them and then some. This is a hell of a debut and new chapter for the classic character that will hopefully launch adventures of this quality for many years to come.”

• GrimDark Magazine: “Titan’s Conan the Barbarian #1 starts off with a bang, very clearly setting expectations for the series to come. We’re introduced to Conan, given a quick demonstration of the rough honor code this barbarian lives by, and then see him pitted against a rapidly escalating otherworldly menace.”

• Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: “From the first to last panel, it was an exhilarating experience to read this comic book. Robert E. Howard would be proud to know that the legacy of his beloved barbarian is in good hands.”

• Hero Press: 9.2/10 “…it more than delivers on the promise of the lauded Free Comic Book Day prequel….if this debut issue is a sign of things to come then it feels like we’ll be getting the ‘real deal’ from the Titan era.”

• Heroes For Sale: “They’ve embraced the history of Conan and the fandom of Conan, but done it in their own way…a fantastic job.”

• Hither Came Conan: “I could just stare at this art for hours and hours…I’m really happy with this first issue…It not only met my expectations, it leapt right over them.”

• Hobbies of a Man: “I love the artwork a lot, I enjoyed the story, it had really great pacing, and it was just enjoyable overall.”

• Horror Mike: “It is fantastic! What a great set-up. I am absolutely looking forward to the next three issues…Highly recommended…I think this series is going to be monumental.”

• Horror Tree: 10/10 “…the Conan I read about in this Titan Comics issue still holds appeal to me even as an adult. He’s a nonconformist, a loner, and an intentional outsider. Yes, a rogue, in a way. He’s a restless traveler in a culture that preferred staying in one place, according to a scene in the first few pages.”

• How To Love Comics: “…a visually impressive comic that looks great and has strong storytelling. Overall, Titan’s new era for Conan is off to an excellent start.”

• Hylandian: “The Iron Age is upon us and Conan is leading the charge!”

• Infinity Flux: “My favorite book of the week…I can’t recommend this one enough.”

• Is This Just Fantasy?: “All around I feel like this is a great start…I think Rob De La Torre is a new modern master when it comes to fantasy comics.”

• J-Man: 10/10 “Must own…I cannot wait to get the next one.”

• League of Comic Geeks: 10/10 “BLOWN AWAY! Conan is back and in such an awesome way. This book is savage, bloody and sexy, the way a Conan story should be.”

• Multiversity: 8/10 “The new run on “Conan the Barbarian” is, without question, a love letter to the franchise. This is a creative team that clearly loves the character and the many adventures he’s been through, and are putting that passion to work in creating a comic that captures and pays tribute to the classic style in every detail, whether through narration and dialogue, art and color styles, or even Richard Starkings’ font designs for the lettering.”

• Negromancer: “De la Torre makes me feel the blood, violence, and the heat of bone-breaking, and he creates a sense of foreboding and then, terror when the horde strikes.”

• Next Issue Podcast: “I think Jim Zub is a really fun writer, especially when it comes to barbarian fantasy and I think the art team really nails the aesthetic that one expects from a Conan book.”

• Pfangirl: “De la Torre delivers page after page of big hits, and even bigger battles…”

• Planes, Trains and Comic Books: 10/10 “This comic was fantastic!…It feels very classic but, at the same time, new.”

• Pop Culture Philosophers: “They’re giving us a no hold’s barred classic old school Conan book. I thought it was really solid.”

• Pros and Cons: “The art is gorgeous…This is a really cool take on Conan…I highly recommend this.”

• Pullbox: 10/10 “I’m looking forward to seeing if these new stories can maintain the ferocity promised in this first issue”

• Rich Review: 8/10 “This is Conan as he was meant to be. Yes he is rough and tough, a barbarian to be sure yet he is a gentleman and has a big heart he helps others. Yet you will have no problem knowing this man is not to be trifled with.”

• Sci-Fi 4 Me: “…a steady paced story with a good mix of action sets and quieter character moments to give the action room to breathe. Overall, a great first entry into a new series, and I can definitely recommend you pick this one up.”

• Sci-Fi Jubilee: “Conan the Barbarian #1 has everything Conan fans could’ve hoped for and plenty for newcomers to enjoy as well. Jim Zub, Rob De La Torre, and José Villarrubia are an exceptional creative team and this new series is a fantastic sword and sorcery epic set in the classic Conan style of yesteryear.”

• Scifiward: “Conan the Barbarian #1 absolutely shines. Roberto De La Torre is a great artist and the action really comes alive.”

• Set The Tape: 8/10 “All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read, one that old fans will welcome whilst being accessible to anyone new to the character. If you’re in the mood for some old-fashioned, low fantasy swordplay be sure to grab this title.”

• Stars My Destination (Spanish): 8.5/10 “It’s a 22-page story with lots of of action that takes time to read and absorb, but the text never feels like it gets in the way of the artwork by De La Torre and Villarrubia. On top of that, the cliffhanger ending makes getting the second issue a must. You couldn’t ask for a better first issue.”

• Stygian Dogs: “It is gory, it’s fantastic…This is a dream team working on a dream project.”

• Super Hero Hype: 10/10 “Those who have never read a Conan comic could not ask for a better introduction to the first son of sword-and-sorcery than Conan the Barbarian #1, and those who are already fans of Conan will find this first chapter to be everything they could have hoped for.”

• Super Powered Fancast: 9/10 “…a fantastic return of the Cimmerian warrior. The story has a classic feel that immediately immerses you into the world of the character and there is a great sense of rising tension throughout the issue.”

• Tennessee Fats: “As a Conan-o-phile, I really enjoyed this…It held my attention all the way through because it was just like reading a Savage Sword of Conan story for the very first time.”

• Terrier Comics: “This looks like a Conan comic. This feels like a Conan comic…This is very much the way Conan should be. Channeling the spirit of Robert E. Howard. A fantastic first issue that makes you want to read more.”

• 32 Flavors Of Nickweiser: 8.2/10 “It’s a book that you need to go out and read. Definitely go check this out. Buy this book.”

• Thinking Critical: “I think it absolutely delivers in every way conceivable when it comes to this comic book. It feels like Conan. It feels like a barbarian comic with absolutely awesome fantasy action.”

• Todd Luck: “This really does feel like a premium comic that you’re paying regular price for…This is a good, worthy successor and a good jumping on point.”

• Void City Reviews: “This is fantastic!…It feels like a novel reading it, but the writing is there to enhance the art…It’s so well done and so well crafted.”

• Wakizashi’s Reviews: 8.5/10 “It reminded me of reading comics when I was younger, those moments when the outside world fades away and you are deep in the world of the story.”

• Weird Science Comics: 8.5/10 “This is for the Conan crowd through and through…It does a good job of getting things going…I had a smile on my face by the end with how classic it was.”