This week, Marvel Comics’ heroic saga of swords and sorcery, Conan the Barbarian wrapped up “The Life and Death of Conan,” a twelve-issue story arc by writer Jason Aaron and artist Mahmud Asrar. The epic chronicle, “The Life and Death of Conan” is the first storyline in the flagship title since the Cimmerian’s celebrated return to Marvel Comics last year alongside a host of related titles including Savage Sword of Conan, Age Of Conan: Bêlit, Queen Of The Black Coast, and Age of Conan: Valeria.

Robert E. Howard’s Conan, “black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand,” first appeared in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, literary home to H.P. Lovecraft and his peers, in the short story “The Phoenix on the Sword,” first published in December 1932. A bold and brooding warrior from the northern reaches of Cimmeria, Conan’s remarkable adventures of melancholy and mirth as a pirate, soldier, thief, and monarch battling evil wizards, fearsome creatures, and forces of the supernatural across the mythical Hyborian world have enchanted readers of fantasy fiction for generations. In 1970, the renowned Marvel Comics writer-editor Roy Thomas, and author of Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Savage Barbarian, introduced comic book readers to Conan the Barbarian in a monthly magazine penned by himself and featuring the dynamic art of Barry Windsor-Smith, later succeeded by legendary artist John Buscema.

After 15 years of wanderlust, Conan returned to his roots at Marvel in 2019 to the joy of new readers and old fans alike. Spanning twelve issues, the epic storyline “The Life and Death of Conan” comes to a conclusion with this week’s coda. In Jason Aaron’s tale, a nefarious sorceress, the Crimson Witch seeks to raise the Almighty Razazel, Arch-Demon of the Elder Night with death magic from the blood of a mighty warrior that has “skirted death by the most breathless of margins — the more a great warrior cheats death, the mightier his blood becomes.” The blood of a man that refuses to die is imbued with the death magic necessary to summon Razazel to the mortal world.

In “The Life and Death of Conan,” Conan treads a perilous path across the lands of Hyboria, crossing abomination-infested seas, delving into sunless catacombs crawling with the undead, and carving his way from the very belly of a leviathan, all the while his warrior’s blood ripening to feed the rise Razazel. In Zamora, the City of Thieves, Conan, a victorious pit fighter in the Maul, draws the eye of a seductress —the Crimson Witch in disguise — gambling on the matches. Poisoned by the Witch and bound for ritual sacrifice to the Arch-Demon, Conan escapes her vile clutches, leaving the witch for dead and her mysterious children, Razza and Zazella, to haunt his footsteps across the shadows of time. “The Life and Death of Conan, Part Twelve: The Power in the Blood” brings the story arc to its ultimate end, as the Cimmerian finds himself once again in the Tower of the Almighty Razazel at the mercy of the Crimson Witch and her sinister brood.

Jason Aaron, acclaimed writer of War of the Realms, Thor, Valkyrie: Jane Foster, crafted an intricate, and often horrifying, storyline that portrays the Cimmerian in his wilding youth, carousing and thieving, and into the years he would rule the kingdom of Aquilonia, with the Children of the Great Red Doom ever lurking in wait. The series’ stunning artwork, courtesy of Mahmud Asrar and colorist Matt Wilson, draws upon the historic craft and technique of their predecessors Barry Smith, Gil Kane, John Buscema, John Romita, and Cary Nord, to create a lush and vibrant visual narrative that serves as a tribute befitting the artistic legacy of the hero, Conan the Barbarian.

Conan the Barbarian #12 from Marvel Comics is available January 29th at a friendly neighborhood comic store near you.

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