Back in January of this year saw it announced that following an eighteen year absence, Conan the Barbarian would be returning to Marvel Comics, and now the new creative team is announced.
Conan the Barbarian #1 kicks off in January from writer Jason Aaron and artist Mahmud Asrar, joined by cover artist Esad Ribic and colorist Matt Wilson.
“I’ve literally been preparing for this job since I was 13 and discovered my first Robert E. Howard Conan paperback in a used bookstore in my little hometown of Jasper, Alabama,” noted Aaron to Marvel.com. “I devoured every Howard book I could find after that, and I’ve been making up Conan stories in my head ever since. Now I finally get to do that for real, alongside the amazing Mahmud Asrar. So this opportunity means an awful lot to me, and I’m cherishing every blood-splattered, spider-haunted second of it.”
Aaron continued: “The big initial arc we’re doing in this new series is very much done in reverence to Robert E. Howard and those original stories. One of the things that initially pulled me into the character was the fact that with each story, Howard jumped to a different point in Conan’s life, where he was in a different setting, interacting with different characters and living a very different life. I loved the grand and epic scope of Conan’s overall journey, and so for this new series, instead of picking just one period from Conan’s life and doing stories set only within that, our opening 12-issue arc will thread together many different periods and aspects of Conan’s journey, from Cimmeria to Aquilonia and beyond. That’s why this story is called ‘The Life and Death of Conan.'”
Conan The Barbarian
“Epic tales of fantasy about one tough and mean warrior,” artist Mahmud Asrar said about Conan The Barbarian. “Conan is the epitome of an indomitable barbarian and that has fascinated me as a kid growing up reading his stories. What made me stay for the ride was the amazing art on the Conan books throughout the years. So many great artists to name but I can’t tell you how influential John Buscema and his Conan art was for me. It was the first artist I knew the name of as a kid and started intentionally seeking out,” says Asrar. “Now, years later, I get the chance to draw the book myself and do it with the amazing Jason Aaron. I couldn’t be happier to tell epic new tales of the Cimmerian—to continue the legacy that will hopefully make a mark on readers, just like the original comics did for me.”
“I can’t wait for readers to see the epic scope of the first story lined up for CONAN,” editor Mark Basso offered. “Like our illustrious writer and artist, my intro to Conan came in the form of an old paperback that magically found its way to me as a kid, and this team is harnessing all of that love and respect for the character’s history while expanding the Hyborian mythos in a way that’s really never been done before.”
“These past months have been an exciting whirlwind for us and the folks at Marvel, going through creative teams with passion for the Cimmerian,” added Fredrik Malmberg, President & CEO of Cabinet Entertainment. “Jason and Mahmud are crafting a really strong story, it’s amazing to see the process and pages coming through. Esad Ribic’s covers evoke the classic Conan, yet with his own distinct and personal freshness. Crom!”
