Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone

Without  a doubt Robert E Howard was instrumental in forging the Sword and Sorcery genre. Conan came at the right time. Weird Tales was the magazine that the character would first appear. This was a great magazine filled with crazy wonderous stories. They have tried to do things similar over the years but they never seem to have the same feel to them as the old one.

Conan was a hugely successful comic series. Savage Sword went from 1974 to 1995 with more than 230 issues. Conan the Barbarian ran from 1070 to 1993 and had over 270 published. They have left a deep mark on the comic industry. These were not kids comics. They were brutal adventure stories.

Now Conan has returned. This time with Titan Comics and in full colour rather than Black and White like in the past. However I am very pleased with the end result. Bound in Black Stone is the first graphic novel released. It collects a Free Comic Book Day issue and the regular series 1 -4. It comes in about 100 pages I think. The book is softcover and the pages are shiny. The content I am very happy to say feels like old school Conan. It is brutal and tough. The art is the biggest surprise. While it is not the same as the older series, it definitely is done in that style and very much feels like part of that series.

If you loved the old comics then check out this for sure. I think you will be well pleased overall.