Where to start with Conan the Barbarian Comics (full guide)

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Stepping into Conan’s sandals and following his comic adventures (not always as funny as they sound) can feel overwhelming.

There are literally hundreds — perhaps even a thousand — Conan comics out there now, with more being made all the time.

But we all start somewhere and this guide is here to help. If all this is new to you, I envy you: Conan comics are some of the finest ever made.

I find the comic book medium a fantastic way to explore the Hyborian Age – we get both great storytelling and wonderful art with pictures worth a (cliched but true) thousand words.

The following list is based on a combination of both personal preference and ease of access.

It aims to provide an accessible starting point to help you navigate Conan’s extensive comic history.

1. Savage Sword of Conan (Marvel, 1974–1995)

It was a difficult choice, but the original Savage Sword just made it to the coveted number one spot.

The Savage Sword of Conan features primarily faithful adaptations of Robert E. Howard’s stories, presented through various periods of Conan’s life rather than chronologically.

That means the stories jump about and often don’t follow on from one another.

The stories are usually longer (more pages) than the regular Conan the Barbarian series (below) and are usually darker, more violent and contain (a bit) of nudity.

Roy Thomas takes writing duties initially, supported by outstanding artists like John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala, whose stunning detailed black-and-white illustrations are legendary.

I have spent many an hour pouring over Buscema’s work and studying how the art changes when he’s inked by Alfredo Alcala, Tony DeZuniga, Tom Palmer or The Tribe (and the list goes on!). It’s some seriously beautiful work.

Iconic adaptations include Red Nails and The Tower of the Elephant, and many more besides.

The painted covers from the original Savage Sword issues are among the finest ever produced.

Pros:

• Detailed, striking black-and-white art
• More mature and gritty storytelling, some nudity
• Strongly faithful adaptations of Howard’s original tales
• Some of the best covers to ever grace comic books

CONS:

• Black-and-white format might not appeal to everyone
• Anthology format means less narrative consistency

Where to buy:

Here’s the first Savage Sword of Conan omnibus, the perfect place to get started!

2. Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970–1993)

Conan the Barbarian is the classic run, the one that started it all, and honestly, there are strong arguments for it to be in the number one spot. I wouldn’t blame anyone for placing it at the top.

I’ve had so much enjoyment reading through these that it’s just impossible not to recommend them to any other Conan fan.

They are a mix of faithful adaptations and original tales, presented chronologically, depicting Conan aging and evolving throughout his adventures.

Roy Thomas wrote the first 115 issues and after Robert E Howard himself, Roy is probably the biggest reason we have such a wealth of Conan material at our fingertips.

For the most part, Roy ‘gets’ Conan and presents him how he should be (Comics Code restrictions aside, more on that later).

The art is incredible thanks to legendary artists such as Barry Smith (who got it all rolling), and Big John Buscema who upped the quality levels and kept them through the roof for years.

Others, such as Howard Chaykin and Ernie Chan also do sterling work.

Although the issues follow chronologically, we get several large arcs and many mini arcs all in one.

The Queen of the Black Coast arc (running from about #57-101) contain some of the greatest comics you’ll ever read, in my humble opinion.

Thankfully, there is no need to hunt down aging individual issues – everything is currently being reprinted by Titan and Heroic Signatures in omnibus format.

Pros:

• Brilliant storytelling and art
• Conan acts (mostly) like Conan
• Easy to get hold of
• Exciting, fast-paced issues
• Long, multi-part stories

Cons:

• Some people may not like 70s comics, though these are absolutely not as ‘wordy’ as most others of the time
• Had to conform to the comics code, so couldn’t be quite as dark or gritty as maybe was wanted

Where to buy:

Here’s a link to the first Conan omnibus to get you started (great price last time I checked).

3. Savage Sword of Conan (Titan Comics, 2024–Present)

Celebrating the legacy of the original Savage Sword, this anthology-style revival is doing well and generally receiving good feedback overall. I’ve just finished issue eight and it feels like it’s going from strength to strength.

The best thing about these mags is they’re not just Conan, but all sorts of Robert E Howard goodness (Solomon Kane stories, for example).

You can read a review of Savage Sword of Conan #1 here to get an idea of what it’s like.

Just like the originals, the new Savage Sword is in black and white.

The artwork has been a mixed bag so far. The main story in Savage Sword of Conan issue #2 from Jim Zub was just great, but the art really let it down, for example.

Then we get art (and stories) from talents like Liam Sharp (above) and we’re back to peak levels.

Legendary writers like Roy Thomas also contribute.

The magazines also feature interesting articles and essays about Conan, the Hyborian Age, and other REH characters.

Pros:

• Dark, gritty Conan
• Anthology-style flexibility
• Wide array of creators and storytelling styles
• Some great art, and features exciting artists like Liam Sharp and Pat Zircher
• Interesting extras from scholars like Jeff Shanks

Cons:

• Anthology format can mean uneven quality
• Some art won’t appeal to everyone
• No ongoing storylines (except Solomon Kane).

Where to buy

It’s probably easiest to get hold of in trade paperback form, currently. This is the first Savage Sword of Conan book (2024) and it makes sense to start here for this series.

The latest issue is number eight and you can pick it up at your LCS or perhaps on ebay. It features the very talented Liam Sharp, so don’t miss this one!

4. Conan the Barbarian (Titan Comics, 2023–Present)

Titan Comics offers a new era for Conan, blending classic themes with contemporary storytelling by Jim Zub and (mostly) Roberto De La Torre and Doug Braithwaite.

Highly promising and respectful to Conan’s roots, this ongoing series has been solid so far.

I’m currently up to issue 16 and have enjoyed it all, though I don’t think it has quite reached the epic Marvel 1970s level (yet). But to be honest, that is a very high bar indeed.

Jim Zub’s writing is strong, and he definitely ‘gets’ Conan. It’s clear that writing Conan is a passion for him, and it shows, which is great.

I think Conan is in good hands here, though I’m not so sure about the cross-over events (the Black Stone saga) for example – I’d rather see more tales firmly taking place in Conan’s Hyborian Age.

The art has also been mostly great overall. Some early issues were inked too dark for my liking and I found it hard to see what was going on in some panels, but later issues have been easier on the eye.

De La Torre is shaping up to be a solid Conan artist, my only nitpick is that the facial expressions often look the same across all characters!

Pros:

• Mostly excellent artwork and storytelling
• New, interesting narratives

Cons:

• Some cross-over arcs have been middling
• Ocassionally a too Dungeons and Dragon-y vibe

Where to buy:

You can check out an issue from Conan’s Free Comic Book Day 2023 and see if you like it. This one is Conan FCBD 2024 and here is Conan FCBD 2025.

If you decide to buy it, I’d go for the Conan Bound in Black Stone trade paperback (the first in the series) and start from there.

5. Conan (Dark Horse, 2003–2018)

This could honestly be higher up on the list, but it’s just so hard to get hold of now.

Dark Horse’s run provided a refreshing, modern reinterpretation of Conan’s adventures while closely following Howard’s stories. The 90s had been a slow decline for Conan and this was a welcome blast of fresh air.

Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord initially led the creative team, bringing an innovative artistic approach that vividly captured a young Conan’s exploits.

Like the original Conan the Barbarian comics, this series followed Conan as he aged (with some flashbacks thrown in).

After John Buscema, Cary Nord might just be my favourite Conan artist (though Liam Sharp is quickly climbing up that list). The adaptations of The God in the Bowl and Rogues in the House rank up there with the very best.

This series is particularly welcoming to newcomers due to its accessible storytelling style and consistently high-quality visuals.

However, at a certain point (#88) Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan come on as the creative team and we are treated to some of the worst Conan ever made (obviously just my opinion).

I’ve heard it gets better again later, but it put me off so much I stopped. One day I’ll get back to it…

That being said, the first 75 or so issues are very much worth your time and I would highly recommend them.

Pros:

• Accessible for new readers
• Excellent modern artwork
• Faithful yet fresh retelling of original stories

Cons:

• Modern style might not appeal to traditionalists
• Gets worse after Busiek and Truman leave
• The later stories and art are absolutely awful, Conan is not Conan

Where to buy:

This is harder to get hold of, so ebay is probably your friend. You can try the original Dark Horse omnibuses, or a bigger Marvel one (though both are Out Of Print, so keep your eyes peeled for bargains).

6. The Cimmerian (Ablaze, 2019–2022)

Ablaze’s The Cimmerian offers uncensored, mature adaptations of Conan’s adventures from European creators.

I’ve found them to be a mixed bag. The art has ranged from fantastic to absolutely cartoony-awful. I’ll add some images below so you can get an idea.

In general the stories are straight-forward adaptations of the original REH Conan stories. Some get changed to spice things up (The Frost Giant’s Daughter springs to mind) but otherwise they follow the yarns well.

Some of the art is also very adult, more so than anything else on this list (once again, The Frost Giant’s Daughter).

A very nice touch is that the original prose stories are included in each book.

Pros:

• Mature, faithful adaptations
• Often visually stunning European art
• Original prose stories included

Cons:

• Mature content might not suit all readers
• Legal complexities limited the use of Conan’s name
• Some very cartoony art

Where to buy:

Each book comes with two stories (here’s the first Cimmerian volume). You can also get all four books (eight stories) in a nice Cimmerian boxed set.

7. Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 2019–2021)

Marvel’s brief return to Conan featured exciting new storytelling with Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar at the helm.

This run is characterized by the “Life and Death of Conan” arc, intertwining adventures from various stages of Conan’s life.

It wasn’t bad, honestly, nor was it particularly ground-breaking. The only recommendation for really starting here is that most other stuff is better, so it’s all up from here!

Pros:

• Fresh, engaging storylines
• High-quality modern artwork

Cons:

• Short run
• One arc still went on far too long
• Modern storytelling style may not suit purists

Where to buy:

Not so easy to get hold of these days, but this link on ebay should get you the Life and Death of Conan trade paperback.

8. Savage Sword of Conan (Marvel, 2019)

A short but enjoyable anthology series emulating the original Savage Sword format with varied creative teams.

Each issue provides standalone, gritty Conan adventures with an anthology flair. Like the above, it wasn’t bad, but nor was it particularly enthralling.

However it’s a very cheap place to start as the trade paperbacks are still very easy to get hold, and that would be a reason to recommend it.

Pros:

• Quick, engaging reads
• Diverse creative visions
• Easy and cheap to get hold of

Cons:

• Lacks narrative cohesion
• Brief run

Where to buy:

Here’s the first Cult of Koga Thun trade paperback (often available for $12 or less!).

Honourable Mentions:

There’s also Savage Avengers (which places Conan in the Marvel Universe with Wolverine, The Punisher et al and is supposed to be surprisingly fun) and Conan the Adventurer (which was aimed at a slightly younger audience) but I haven’t read either (yet) so it wouldn’t be fair for me to recommend or dismiss them.

Final Thoughts

So, where should you start with the Conan comics?

I think it comes down to whether you want modern or classic comics. I would personally go with the originals and try the newer stuff later.

I would pick up the Conan the Barbarian omnibus or the Savage Sword of Conan omnibus from Titan and Heroic Signatures. There’s a lot of value for a decent price.

But also feel you can jump in wheverever is easily available to you! There is no wrong place to start, and no true reading order.

Conan’s tales were always fragmented and jumped around in time, so don’t be afraid to just get stuck in!

Where next?

The good news is the comics are just one part of a huge Robert E Howard and Conan universe.

You can check out the original Conan books from the creator, Robert E Howard.

Many other authors have written books about our favourite barbarian — known as “pastiche” novels. The entire list of Conan pastiche novels are here.

There’s a whole universe to explore. Enjoy!