SDCC 2023: Titan Comics Announces The Return Of ‘Savage Sword Of Conan’
by Olly MacNamee
Announced at San Diego Comic-Con today, Titan Comics and entertainment studio Heroic Signatures will be relaunching The Savage Sword of Conan in 2024 – with all-new stories and presented in its original black-and-white, magazine-sized format, just as it was originally by Marvel back in the day; 1974 to be precise. Here’s a potted history of this once groundbreaking comic:
“The Savage Sword of Conan featured Robert E. Howard’s iconic Conan the Barbarian untethered from the bounds of the restrictive Comics Code Authority. A darker and more mature title than the flagship Conan the Barbarian comics, The Savage Sword of Conan delved into more gritty and bloody storylines and art, quickly becoming a cult classic publication. The Savage Sword of Conan featured writing and art from legendary creators such as Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Walter Simonson and much more.”
The new series will feature new tales of sword and sorcery from the likes of John Arcudi, Frank Tieri, Patch Zircher, Howard Chaykin, Rafael Kayanan, Cary Nord, Rebeca Puebla, Dan Panosian, Richard Pace, Gerardo Zaffino and more.
Editor Matt Murray said of this new series:
“Ever since we announced the launch of this new comic book line, fans and creators alike have been clamouring for the return of this iconic title – ONLY if it was in its original B&W anthology magazine format. It’s been a really tough secret to keep that we at Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics have actually been planning on that all along, but it can be a tough skull to crack on a few levels. We hope that we can live up to the expectations, as well as the legacy of the classic book, and think that with the writers and artists we already have on board (and those we’re still talking to) we can forge a new and exciting chapter in CONAN’s savage story.”
Plus, sales numbers for Conan the Barbarian #1 (exceeded 80,000) makes it the largest selling issue in Titan Comics’ history. With a second printing planned and third printing probable, final sales for this debut issue are expected to exceed 100,000 copies.
And while there is no art to accompany this announcement, there is a trailer featuring art from the original series:
