Marvel Has Regained The Publishing License For CONAN THE BARBARIAN Comic Books
For 15 years, Dark Horse Comics was licensed to publish Conan The Barbarian comic books, and today, it was announced that the legendary sword-swinging hero will be returning to his original home....
When Robert E. Howard's classic sword and sorcery hero, Conan, made the transition from pulp magazines to comic books, Marvel was the first publisher to adapt the character to the medium. From 1970 to 2000, Marvel produced some outstanding comics featuring the work of such noted talents as John Buscema and Barry Windsor-Smith.
Dark Horse Comics acquired the license in 2003 and were prolific in publishing collections that included King Conan and Conan The Cimmerian, but Marvel has now announced that from January 2019, they will publish Conan comic book titles, collections and reprints.
Current Marvel Editor-In-Chief C.B. Cebulski had the following remarks:
“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. 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!”
As for Dark Horse Comics, this turn of events comes 4 years after they lost the license to publish Star Wars comics. Furthermore, the Fox/Disney merger is likely to result in Dark Horse's 20th Century Fox licenses like Avatar and Aliens being acquired by Marvel at some point in the future.
Are you a Conan fan? Are you curious to see what Marvel will do with the character? Let us know in the comments section.