Marvel Comics is celebrating the legacy of Conan the Barbarian with King-Size Conan #1, an oversized one-shot featuring an all-star cast of creators, including Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
CBR has an exclusive look at Eastman's story in King-Size Conan #1, which marks Eastman's first Marvel work. The art shows the Hyborian warrior in the midst of a brutal battle. "I bought Conan issue #1 off a drug store spinner rack, I was eight and it cost me fifteen cents. That was a big chunk of my paper route money in those days and worth every penny," Eastman told CBR. "I read it so often the staples barely held it together, which Stan Lee commented on when he signed it thirty years later. As a lifelong fan I was thrilled when Mark Basso not only invited me to do a cover recently, but to contribute a short story for this collection. I was at once incredibly excited and insanely nervous, as well as grateful they still wanted to publish it after I turned the work in! Thanks for so many awesome memories!"
"Being Marvel, we're going to celebrate this amazing anniversary of this classic character that's become such a part of all our lives just like any other Marvel super hero," Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski said when King-Size Conan #1 was announced.
"It's a legacy we've been building on since the relaunch in 2019," Editor Mark Basso explained. "And one we're culminating with this special issue."
Legendary Conan writer Roy Thomas, known for his groundbreaking run on the title that began in 1970's Conan the Barbarian #1, returns to take the character back to the very beginning.
"What I wanted to do is get from the first battle Conan had to a time just a few months later when he met the Aesir, which is really about where Conan #1 starts," Thomas said. "I thought it would be nice to show what happened just before Conan #1, at least in my mind, with some nice action along the way."
Other creators contributing to King-Size Conan #1 includes Chris Claremont, Kurt Busiek, Steven S. DeKnight, director and showrunner of Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix, Steve McNiven, Pete Woods, Roberto de la Torre and Jesus Saiz.
King-Size Conan #1 goes on sale Dec. 23 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel