Once more, an ancient evil threatens reality. Indeed, it has always threatened reality, for time is meaningless to it as a construct. Thus for it to be fought, heroes from many times and realms must unite!

Conan of Cimmeria, thief and sellsword, who has yet to become a king by his own hand in the prehistoric Hyborian Age. Stephen Costigan, a shell-shocked soldier of The Great War, who seeks relief in opium dreams. And Zuleika, a woman of mystery, who can manifest her mind in the bodies of her past lives.

Three unlikely warriors, bridged across the ages. Three to stand against infinity and the dark servants of the power that seeks their destruction. And greatest among these servants is an evil more ancient than them all – the sorcerer Thulsa Doom!

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the start of Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King since the first preview on Free Comic Book Day 2026. Last week’s Savage Sword of Conan release further whetted my appetite and further raised the stakes. This first chapter is more of what we’ve come to expect from Jim Zub, expertly adapting another relatively obscure Robert E. Howard tale, “Skull-Face.” Under Zub’s pen, what was a spirited pastiche of Sax Rohmer becomes officially tied to the Kull of Atlantis stories and the titular skull-faced Atlantean sorcerer affirmed as a reincarnated Thulsa Doom. This connection has been suggested by earlier Howard scholars, but Zub makes the subtext canon.

The artwork is equally complex. Jesus Merino continues the fine, detail-driven work seen in the zero issue. The colors by Jao Canola are much improved, with a wider variety of shades being utilized. I previously criticized Canola for using colors that were far too bright for various scenes that seemed to require deeper shadows. Here, however, this is limited to the flashbacks of Stephen Costigan opium dreams, reflecting them as a stylistic choice meant to separate them from the grim reality. The letters, too, reflect this rough and ready world, never obscuring the art or action.

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1 is another hit for Titan Comics. The works of Robert E. Howard have never been blended or recreated so well. This is a must read book for all fans of sword and sorcery, weird horror and ripping yarns!

Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King #1 arrives in comic shops on September 23, 2026.