A few months back Marvel announced that it had acquired the CONAN license a few motnhs ago, but since then there has been only speculation about who would be creating the book.
Well, the news is out and the team – Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar and Esad Ribic – is not only talented but they all look like they could be one of Conan’s comrades in arms…or perhaps, in Ribic’s case, even a master villain.
The new series hits in January. We have been too long without bloodletting and loincloths. It is good to be Conan once again.
Superstar writer Jason Aaron will helm the new tales of the sword-slashing hero, bringing him to life alongside star artist Mahmud Asrar (X-Men Red, Cloak and Dagger). Aaron and Asrar will be joined by cover artist Esad Ribic (Fantastic Four, Secret Wars, Marvel Legacy) and Eisner Award-winning colorist Matt Wilson (Runaways, The Mighty Thor.)
“I’ve literally been preparing for this job since I was 13 and discovered my first Robert E. Howard Conan paperback in a used bookstore in my little hometown of Jasper, Alabama,” said Aaron. “I devoured every Howard book I could find after that, and I’ve been making up Conan stories in my head ever since. Now I finally get to do that for real, alongside the amazing Mahmud Asrar. So this opportunity means an awful lot to me, and I’m cherishing every blood-splattered, spider-haunted second of it.”
“Growing up, Conan was one of the first comic books I’ve read. It’s partly responsible in making me a lifelong comic book reader,” said Asrar. “In fact, it’s the first book where I’ve noticed the names of the creators and that being a comic book artist was something I could do for a living. Now, years later, I get the chance to draw the book myself and do it with the amazing Jason Aaron. I couldn’t be happier to tell epic new tales of the Cimmerian – to continue the legacy that will hopefully make a mark on readers, just like the original comics did for me.”
“I can’t wait for readers to see the epic scope of the first story lined up for CONAN,” shared editor Mark Basso. “Like our illustrious writer and artist, my intro to Conan came in the form of an old paperback that magically found its way to me as a kid, and this team is harnessing all of that love and respect for the character’s history while expanding the Hyborian mythos in a way that’s really never been done before.”
“These past months have been an exciting whirlwind for us and the folks at Marvel, going through creative teams with passion for the Cimmerian,” added Fredrik Malmberg, President & CEO of Cabinet Entertainment. “Jason and Mahmud are crafting a really strong story, it’s amazing to see the process and pages coming through. Esad Ribic’s covers evoke the classic Conan, yet with his own distinct and personal freshness. Crom!”
This January, be prepared to witness Conan’s exploits, magic, and mayhem in an all-new series, starting with CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1!
It’s just plain weird when marvel pretends that dark horse haven’t been publishing these books for years. Same happened with star wars. If these guys really did love Conan comics they wouldn’t have stopped reading them when Dark horse took the licence and had contemporaries of these guys writing them.
Ugh… not a fan of Mahmud Asrar’s art style. I’ll have to wait and see some finished Conan pages from him before I totally say no to this new series (I’m just so tired of Marvel’s lack of decent artists these days).
Good to hear the passion in Aaron’s voice. Surely he’ll have to give up writing something though.
Aaron and not Roy Thomas?? And funny how Aaron never mentions his name in the interview. The reason he read those paperbacks is because Roy introduced Conan to the masses and started the whole sword and sorcery movement in comics. Forget Aaron and bring me Roy Thomas!!!
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