Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics was the primary publisher of Conan the Barbarian comics for a significant period, beginning in 2003. They launched a series of major comic titles, including "Conan," "Conan the Cimmerian," "Conan: Road of Kings," "Conan the Barbarian," "Conan the Avenger," and "Conan the Slayer," which collectively formed a continuous storyline. In addition to these core series, they also published "King Conan," focusing on Conan's reign, alongside various mini-series and one-shots. These new stories often incorporated new material and adaptations of Robert E. Howard's original tales, frequently utilizing a framing device with characters from Conan's future. Dark Horse also released extensive collections of Marvel Comics' original "Conan the Barbarian" material. The publishing rights for Conan eventually reverted to Marvel Comics in 2018, concluding Dark Horse's extensive run.

Dark Horse Comics embarked on their extensive publication of Conan the Barbarian material starting in 2003 with a prologue one-shot. They established a primary continuity through six main series: "Conan," "Conan the Cimmerian," "Conan: Road of Kings," "Conan the Barbarian," "Conan the Avenger," and "Conan the Slayer." These series were designed to interlink, forming a cohesive narrative. "Conan," the inaugural series, ran for 50 issues and featured a distinctive painterly art style. "Conan the Cimmerian" followed, then "Conan: Road of Kings" brought in writer Roy Thomas. "Conan the Barbarian" under Brian Wood notably expanded on Howard's "Queen of the Black Coast." "Conan the Avenger" featured Fred Van Lente, and "Conan the Slayer" by Cullen Bunn concluded this main run before the rights returned to Marvel.

Beyond the core series, Dark Horse Comics explored various facets of the Conan mythos. The "King Conan" series specifically chronicled Conan's reign as king, running concurrently with other titles. The publisher also released a substantial number of standalone mini-series and one-shot issues, offering diverse narrative explorations. Many of these comic series and standalone works directly adapted Robert E. Howard's original short stories, including titles like "The Frost-Giant's Daughter," "The Tower of the Elephant," "Black Colossus," "Queen of the Black Coast," and "A Witch Shall be Born," among others. This approach ensured a connection to the foundational literary works while expanding the visual storytelling.

Dark Horse Comics played a significant role in making older Conan stories accessible to new audiences through extensive collections. They published graphic novel collections of the original Marvel Comics' "Conan the Barbarian," "The Savage Sword of Conan," and "King Conan" series. A notable example is "The Chronicles of Conan," a 34-volume series that reprinted the complete run of Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" comic, often digitally re-colored. These collections, spanning various creative teams and eras of Marvel's output, provided a comprehensive historical archive of the character's comic book journey prior to Dark Horse's own new material. This commitment to reprinting ensured the enduring legacy of Conan's comic adventures.