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Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone Vol. 1 trailer!

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Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone Vol. 1 collects issues -4, plus material from the Free Comic Book Day 2023 special edition.

Featuring writing from Jim Zub and art by Rob De La Torre, he is CONAN THE BARBARIAN – THE GREATEST WARRIOR OF ALL TIME and he’s back in this all-new fantasy graphic novel, heralding a new era of savage, sword-slashing, brooding action, in search of high adventure and blood-soaked battle! BY CROM!

90 years ago, Robert E. Howard forged a whole new genre – SWORD AND SORCERY when he unleashed his immortal creation CONAN on an unsuspecting world.

Often copied, but never bettered, this is the welcome return of the first and mightiest hero ever to stride and slash his way across the world. Featuring an action-packed script written by Jim Zub that would make Robert E. Howard proud, and Buscema-inspired dynamic artwork by Roberto De La Torre! Together these two titans of the comic world have breathed new life into one of the most recognizable characters in fiction and in doing so, have unleashed a fantastic new era!

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 life fill his mind, as he makes the choice to take his first fateful step into the Hyborian Age in search of blood-soaked glory.

Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone Vol. 1 is on sale February 13, 2024 at bookstores, comic shops and digital.  Order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Forbidden Planet for UK. 

Mini Reviews: What If, Mutant Mayhem, Conan, and Magneto!

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Conan the Barbarian #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

What If…? Dark: Venom (Marvel) – Stephanie Phillips and Jethro Morales have Thing merge with the Venom symbiote in the latest installment of What If…? Dark. Set in the 1980s after Secret Wars when Thing left the team, this one-shot plays off Ben Grimm’s desire to be human to great effect. Of course, the symbiote makes him human again, but there’s a cost, and Thing indulges his dark side with the help of Lizard. Phillips and Morales draw a parallel between Curt Connors and Grimm musing if Thing would be considered a hero if he wasn’t part of the Fantastic Four. Sadly, the third act turns this interesting relationship into pure edginess, but there’s 2/3 of an interesting and badass at times comic in What If Dark Venom . Overall: 7.4 Verdict: Read (I purchased a copy)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem– TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is like going to the movies with your cool (probably stoner) older brother. The latest reboot based on the most successful independent comic of all time goes for Gen Z in a lot of its jokes, references (Leonardo “rizzes up” April O’Neil), and of course, in the voice performances of the Turtles, but is pure Gen X in its soundtrack with lots of classic hip hop cuts from ODB, Gang Starr, and De La Soul to name a few. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem focuses on the “teenage” side of the mutant ninja turtles as Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Donatello just want to live normal lives with humans and go to high school instead of cowering in the sewers with their human-phobic father Splinter. However, the bad guys are all mutant as Super Fly (Ice Cube) plots with a veritable menagerie of mutated animals to take out all the humans and make New York an extension of the Bronx Zoo. The seven writers on this film and director Jeff Rowe give Mutant Mayhem an anarchic spirit that literally oozes from the DIY-ish animation style, and the voice cast is star-studded, but not in annoying, say Rio way. Paul Rudd as a chill mutant gecko is the find of the year, and Ayo Edibiri’s earnestness and nervous energy as April O’Neil is the definitive performance of this TMNT ally. The final fight is a little on the short side, but overall, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is an audiovisual feast with a great sense of humor that does “hated and feared” better than most of the X-Men films. Overall: 8.2

Conan the Barbarian (Titan) – Set in Conan’s younger adventuring days, writer Jim Zub, artist Rob de la Torre, and colorist Jose Villarrubia immediately raise the stakes by having Conan and his new ally, the Pict women Brissa, face off against undead tribe of Picts that are ravaging the countryside. The highlights are the brutal battle sequences with de la Torre and Villarrubia excelling at both close-up intimate panels and huge spreads of the carnage. Unlike the Free Comic Book Day issue, Zub is more sparing with his purple prose captions using them to dig into the larger themes of Conan even though sometimes they end up describing the visuals of the panels. All in all, Conan the Barbarian nails its protagonist’s world-weariness with a heart of gold and feels like a throwback to the old John Buscema Conan comics while adding psychological depth and exploring its hero’s connection to his Cimmerian roots. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy (I purchased a copy)

Magneto (Marvel) – Magneto continues to try to answer the age-old question: how could Magneto be both hero or terrorist? Featuring retro art from Todd Nauck and a psychologically savvy script from JM DeMatteis, this tale set in the 1980s features Magneto caught between being the teacher of the New Mutants and the leader of a new iteration of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Magneto takes its time to explore pivotal moments from Erik Lehnsherr’s going deep into his motivations, and how the big attack in X-Men was just him playing role and basically trying to get the X-Men over as heroes. DeMatteis and Nauck also don’t shy away from portraying Magneto in a negative light like a scene where he freaks out at Wolfsbane and almost hurts her with his magnetic abilities. The comic strikes the perfect balance between nostalgia and character study and has some big action scenes to boot like a Danger Room showdown between the New Mutants and Brotherhood. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

By Crom! Conan the Barbarian #1 delivers an action packed debut

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Conan the Barbarian #1

Years after the battle of Venarium, a weary Conan returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude. However, a mysterious scout rides in to warn the Cimmerians of an imminent threat on the march from the Pictish wilderness. Will Conan and his new ally be able to hold off this new horde of invaders? Conan the Barbarian is a fantastic debut feeling like a continuation of the great stories that have come before.

Written by Jim Zub, Conan the Barbarian is the latest start in comics for the classic character. While the story might be knew, its look and feel are classic Conan. For those who have been fans of previous comic volumes, you should find plenty to like with this debut.

Zub is a master at swords and sorcery and it should be no surprise to those who know his work that he nails the debut. We’re introduced to a much younger Conan, in his mid-20s, fresh off of adventure and not happy with the leadership he’s dealt with. Zub plants a flag that this a Conan who is and is not a leader. One that you would follow to the ends of the earth but at the same time wouldn’t want to be in that position. He fights for what he sees is right and standing up for what’s right and others, though never wanting that recognition. Conan, Zub shows, is a complicated character in many ways. He should be leading and would be great at it, but doesn’t want to. He sees himself as doing what must, and should, be done.

Before him lays a challenge of a horde of individuals, possessed by unknown dark magic that turns them into zombie like beings. While it’d be easy to just make it zombies, that doesn’t quite seem to be the case, delivering a take that’s more than just Conan vs. undead hordes. With a new companion, he’s faced with a dilemma as to what to do and where to turn for the manpower to turn the tide and end the wave of destruction.

The art by Rob De La Torre is fantastic. With color by Jose Villarrubia and lettering by Richard Starkings, the comic looks like it’d fit right into the Conan comics that have come before. But, there’s something slightly different to this, the page layouts give it all a slightly more modern feel and flow. There’s beautiful double-page spreads and amazing use of space in the page layout. It all comes together for a comic that’s a perfect match of story and style.

I had high expectations going into Conan the Barbarian . 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.

Story: Jim Zub Art: Rob De La Torre
Color: Jose Villarrubia Letterer: Richard Starkings
Story: 8.75 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.9 Recommendation: Buy

Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Free Comic Book Day 2023’s Conan the Barbarian #0 is fantastic and has us excited for the series

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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!

Story: Jim Zub
Art: Rob De La Torre
Color: José Villarrubia
Letterer: Richard Starkings

Get your copy. To find a participating shop visit https://freecomicbookday.com/

Preview: Lord of the Jungle #2

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Lord of the Jungle

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Benito Gallego
Covers: Philip Tan (A), Dan Panosian (B), Josh Burns (C), Moritat (D), Rob De La Torre (E)
32 pages | Action Adventure | $3.99 | Teen+

YOUNG TARZAN LEARNS THE TRUE DEPTHS OF EVIL!
When foreign raiders pillage his jungle home, Tarzan comes face-to-face with evil for the first time in his life. For the Lord of the Jungle, this is a catastrophic event, as they leave little but heartache, death and destruction in their wake. As Tarzan deals with humanity and the world beyond his shores for the very first time, he finds it difficult to come to grips with his own unique origins. This series of events will set Tarzan off on a unique mission where a grievous wrong must be atoned for… no matter who committed it. Writer Dan Jurgens, artist BenitoGallego, and a host of incredible cover artists including Philip Tan (Frank Miller’s Ronin Book 2), that will push Tarzan through an adventure like he’s never seen before!

Lord of the Jungle #2