Writer Jim Zub has announced that he has signed a non-exclusive multi-year contract with Conan the Barbarian license holders Heroic Signatures, keeping him on the Titan-published comics series for at least a further three years.
Zub has been heading the relaunch of Conan the Barbarian at Titan Comics since Heroic Signatures shifted the publishing rights from Marvel in 2022. Over a year in, with the first major event Battle of the Black Stone officially kicking off in September, the relaunched title has drawn acclaim from critics and fans.
The writer posted the news on his website, saying:
“I’m ecstatic to announce that I’ve signed a multi-year deal with Heroic Signatures to keep writing the Conan the Barbarian monthly title and related narrative development (event mini-series and Savage Sword in particular, but other stuff too) for the foreseeable future! Working on such an important character and building out this vibrant mythology over a longer span is both an honor and a privilege, one that I don’t take for granted.”
He added:
“The new contract I’ve signed is non-exclusive (so I will have work with other publishers), but it solidifies my commitment to the Hyborian Age going forward. Like I said at our Conan panel, none of this would have been possible without reader and retailer support, so thank you for helping make my dreams come true.
“When I was a kid it would have been a dream to meet the people who made Conan the Barbarian or Dungeons & Dragons. Actually being one of those people is stratospherically beyond anything I could have imagined, even in those fantasy worlds.”
Zub added on social media that the multi-year deal will span at least the next three years.
It will be interesting to bear in mind that 2028 is potentially when Robert E. Howard’s signature creation is expected to enter public domain. If this is indeed the case, Zub will be among the last creators to handle the character before the floodgates open.
At SDCC it was also announced that the black and white anthology series Savage Sword of Conan will continue for another year. Initially planned as six bimonthly issues to test the waters, strong retailer and reader response has given the go ahead for another year, with more creators giving their own spin on the character and his world. It has also been disclosed that Roy Thomas – who, alongside artist Barry Windsor-Smith, most famously made his mark on the Conan character at Marvel Comics in the 1970s – is teaming up with Rob De La Torre for a feature story.
