Conan the Barbarian Omnibus: Complete Guide

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Conan the Barbarian is where it all began. When Marvel launched this series in 1970, they didn’t just create a successful comic – they defined how Conan would look and feel for generations. For me, it’s the beginning of a golden era of Conan comics.

If you want to follow Conan’s life as one continuous story, from young Cimmerian wanderer to King of Aquilonia, this is the series. The omnibus editions collect the complete 275-issue run in oversized hardcovers with restored colour art.

What is Conan the Barbarian?

Conan the Barbarian was Marvel’s flagship Conan title, running from 1970 to 1993. Written primarily by Roy Thomas for the first decade, it told Conan’s story chronologically – you could follow him from his first adventures leaving Cimmeria through his entire legendary career.

Unlike the black-and-white Savage Sword of Conan magazine, this was a full-colour comic published under the Comics Code Authority. That meant less explicit violence and no nudity, but it also meant stunning colour artwork from some of the industry’s greatest talents.

Barry Windsor-Smith launched the series with a run that’s still considered groundbreaking. John Buscema took over and made the character his own for over a decade. The colouring throughout – particularly George Roussos’s work (my favourite) – is phenomenal. These pages glow.

The Art: From Windsor-Smith to Buscema

Barry Windsor-Smith defined Conan’s look in the early issues. His detailed, almost Pre-Raphaelite style was unlike anything else in comics at the time. The first 24 issues (collected in Volumes 1–2) are essential – not just for Conan fans, but for anyone interested in comic book art history.

John Buscema took over from issue #25 and made Conan his signature character. His powerful, muscular figures and dynamic action sequences became the definitive Conan look. Buscema drew more Conan pages than any other artist, and his work here – inked primarily by Ernie Chan – is among his finest.

Just the other day someone on Reddit mentioned that Buscema’s Conan work looks more modern. I think that’s a very fair take, even if the time periods essentially crossed over!

George Roussos coloured much of the run, and his work deserves recognition. He’s quite possibly my favourite colourist, ever.

The Hyborian Age glows under his palette – rich oranges and reds for Stygia, cool blues for Cimmeria, lush greens for the Black Kingdoms. Colouring often goes unappreciated, but Roussos elevated every page he worked on.

Check out this review of issue #82, Sorceress of the Swamp for an example of his beautiful work.

The Omnibus Editions

Titan Comics (continuing and taking over from Marvel’s original omnibus line) is collecting the complete run in approximately 10 oversized hardcover volumes. If you want to know more about the Savage Sword omnibuses here instead.

Volume Contents

The first four volumes are essential – Barry Windsor-Smith defining Conan, then John Buscema taking over and making it his own.

Quality stays strongish in Volume 5, settles into a comfortable if uninspiring rhythm through Volumes 6–9, then sees a creative resurgence in Volume 10 (when Roy Thomas comes back).

Volume	Issues	Key content	Notes
Vol. 1	CTB #1-26	Barry Windsor-Smith era, early classic adaptations, Tower of the Elephant, Red Sonja debut in CTB #23-24	Foundational volume. Groundbreaking start to Marvel Conan.
Vol. 2	CTB #27-51, Giant-Size #1-4, Annual #1	Early John Buscema period, with Gil Kane also featured, plus Hour of the Dragon material.	Better described as an early Buscema-led volume, not a Barry Windsor-Smith one.
Vol. 3	CTB #52-83, Annuals #2-3	Bêlit / Black Coast / Amra material, plus Conan-Kull-Red Sonja crossover elements.	One of the key classic Conan omnibuses. Probably my fave overall.
Vol. 4	CTB #84-115, Annuals #4-5, What If? #13	Conclusion of the Bêlit / Asgulun material, fiercer post-Bêlit Conan, and the Conan-in-modern-New-York What If? story.	More aftermath and transition than pure “Queen of the Black Coast”. Amazing stuff though.
Vol. 5	CTB #116-149, Annuals #6-7, Conan of the Isles, What If? #39	New creative phase with J.M. DeMatteis, a strong Gil Kane stretch, The Creation Quest, and Conan of the Isles.	A notable shift in tone and direction for the series.
Vol. 6	CTB #150-171, Annuals #8-9, What If? #43	The full Michael Fleisher run, with John Buscema art throughout much of the volume.	Strong late middle-period material.
Vol. 7	CTB #172-194, Annuals #10-11	First half of Christopher Priest’s run, including the introduction of the Devourer of Souls thread.	Important setup volume for the late-series mythology.
Vol. 8	CTB #195-213, Annual #12, Official Handbook of the Conan Universe #1	Second half of Priest’s run, with major Devourer of Souls payoff, plus Thulsa Doom and Red Sonja elements.	A major late-run volume with big story payoffs. The Handbook is awesome.
Vol. 9	CTB #214-240, What If…? #16	Late-run transition material with Val Semeiks, Ron Lim, Larry Hama, and the Young Conan storyline.	A bridging volume with several creative shifts.
Vol. 10	CTB #241-275, material from What The–?! #12	Final stretch of the original series, including Roy Thomas’s return and the close of Marvel’s original Conan the Barbarian run.	Best framed as the original series finale.

Pricing and Availability

Each omnibus is $125 USD. They’re oversized hardcovers, typically 600+ pages of restored colour art.

Earlier volumes were published by Marvel before their license expired. Titan is reprinting them, but availability varies. Volume 1 in particular can be hard to find at retail price.

Thankfully the Titan omnibuses can be found easily now (with the last couple still to come). I generally see Amazon having good prices in the US, Forbidden Planet having a great selection in the UK and Comics Bugle being the best in Europe.

Where to Start

The obvious choice: Volume 1. Barry Windsor-Smith’s art is legendary, and you’ll experience Conan’s earliest adventures in chronological order. “The Tower of the Elephant” alone justifies the purchase.

If Volume 1 is unavailable: Volume 3 or 4. By this point Buscema and Chan have hit their stride, and you’re getting peak material. The Bêlit saga in Volume 4 is one of the series’ high points.

Budget option: Wait for the Titan reprints. Marvel’s original printings command premium prices, but Titan is steadily reprinting them at standard retail.

Why Choose Conan the Barbarian?

Chronological storytelling. You follow Conan’s entire life in sequence. Characters recur, relationships develop, and there’s a genuine sense of an epic unfolding across decades.

Full colour. The restored colouring in these omnibuses is gorgeous. If you want to see Conan’s world in vibrant colour rather than black-and-white, this is your series.

The complete saga. From young wanderer to king – it’s all here. You can watch Conan grow, change, and eventually claim the throne of Aquilonia.

Historical significance. This series launched the sword-and-sorcery comics boom of the 1970s. It’s not just a great Conan comic – it’s a landmark in the medium’s history.

If you plan to read these with your kids, they’re more suitable than the Savage Sword series, IMO. At least to start with. Funnily enough, my daughter can’t stand the Conan stories because she thinks he mean, whereas she loves Kull!

Conan the Barbarian vs Savage Sword

Both are excellent. The choice depends on what you want:

Conan the Barbarian	Savage Sword
Full colour	Black-and-white
Chronological arc	Non-chronological anthology
Mix of adaptations and originals	More faithful to Howard
Comics Code approved	Mature content
Best for following Conan’s life	Best for dipping in

If you’re choosing between them, read my full comparison of the Conan vs the Savage Sword omnibus lines. I own both. They complement each other beautifully.

There’s also the King Conan omnibuses as well!

Collecting Tips

Check the binding quality. The earlier Marvel printings and Titan reprints may vary slightly in binding and paper stock. Most collectors report no issues, but inspect copies if buying in person.

Direct Market covers. Many volumes have variant DM covers – often with classic painted art. These are the same interior content, just different cover art. Choose based on preference.

I have mostly the original covers (because they were cheaper) but I probably prefer most (but not all) of the DMs.

Are the Conan the Barbarian omnibuses worth it?

In my humble opinion, absolutely yes! These are some of the best comics ever created, especially in the fantasy/sword & sorcery genre. They are really good. I’m very happy to own them.

Frequently Asked Questions