'Conan The Barbarian' Returns To Marvel After 18 Years
"Conan the Barbarian" is back! Back to Marvel that is, the Robert E. Howard creation's original comic book home. The publisher recently announced that they have reached an agreement with Conan Properties International to take over the franchise beginning in January of 2019, 18 years after it split ways with Marvel.
"From Barry Windsor-Smith to John Buscema to Neal Adams, a legendary lineup of amazing artists brought Conan to life in the pages of Marvel comics," Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski said in Marvel's press release. "It's a legacy we're now going to live up to with the talent we have lined up for the Cimmerian barbarian's homecoming in early 2019. We're excited!"
The series first debut with Marvel back in 1970 and ran for 275 issues until 1993. It was also during this period that a handful of miniseries were produced along with 235 issues of "Savage Sword of Conan" magazine.
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A total of 650 issues were published during its first stint at Marvel which ended in 2000 with the license being acquired by Dark Horse Comics. Starting in 2003, "Conan the Barbarian" was published under Dark Horse however it appears that 2018 will mark the end of the line for their Conan saga.
Earlier this year, it was noted that Marvel had an image of the character of their character. The small tease made the recent announcement a little less surprising although Dark Horse still claimed to have the license at the time.
Marvel has yet to announce any details regarding the returning series such as any specific books or creative teams being involved. It is also unclear whether these new comics will be a reboot or will continue where either the classic Marvel comics or Dark Horse's stories left off.
However, Marvel did reveal a pair of teaser images drawn by Esad Ribic and Mike Deodato, Jr. along with their announcement. Interestingly, Deodato's "Conan the Barbarian" art also featured Thor and Wolverine which, if taken at face value, suggests a crossover between either the Avengers or X-Men, possibly even both.
