Conan: Battle of the Black Stone Reading Order Checklist

Conan is haunted by a mysterious eye symbol etched into black stone. It’s the source of nightmares and shrouds the Hyborian Age – and every age connected to it – with an unspeakable evil. Luckily, it won’t be up to only Conan to stop it, with the Cimmerian joined by other Robert E. Howard creations.

This all plays out in Conan: Battle of the Black Stone comic book event – which you won’t want to miss any of the action. This reading order will give you everything you need to know so you don’t miss out on any action, including background reading, annotations, preludes, and more.

Background reading

Are you looking to catch up on the Conan comics or want to do some background reading? These are the comics you can check out before Battle of the Black Stone.

Conan the Barbarian (2023 series) #1-12
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Roberto De La Torre and Doug Braithwaite.

These issues are the first year of Jim Zub’s run at Titan Comics. They introduce Brissa and slowly build up to Battle of Black Stone.

These comics can be found in the following trade paperback collections:

• Conan the Barbarian Volume 1: Bound in Black Stone (Collects: Conan the Barbarian: Free Comic Book Day 2023 #1 and Conan the Barbarian (2023 series) #1-4)
• Conan the Barbarian Volume 2: Thrice Marked For Death (Collects: Conan the Barbarian (2023 series) #5-8)
• Conan the Barbarian Volume 3: The Age Unconquered (Collects: Conan the Barbarian (2023 series) #9-12)

How about the other Robert E. Howard characters featured in Battle of the Black Stone? None of them have current comics, so you don’t need to do any extensive reading. Savage Sword of Conan (2024 series) #4, and oversized prelude issue, will get you up to speed if you’re not familiar with them.

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone reading order

Take a look below at the recommended reading order for Conan: Battle of the Black Stone. This reading order also includes annotations, creative teams, and release dates to make reading this event easy.

Conan the Barbarian: Free Comic Book Day 2024 (Prelude)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Jonas Scharf.

Note: Conan the Barbarian: Free Comic Book Day 2024 was given away for free as part of Free Comic Book Day 2024. This prelude comic is also available for free digitally for those who missed it.

Savage Sword of Conan (2024 series) #4 (Prelude)
Written by Jim Zub, Patrick Zircher, Fred Kennedy, Jeff Shanks, Ron Marz. Art by Andy Belanger, Eryk Donovan, Fernando Dagnino, and Patrick Zircher.
On sale 28th August

Note: Savage Sword of Conan (2024 series) #4 is a 80-page prelude issue that helps readers get familiarised with the Robert E. Howard characters that will appear in Battle of the Black Stone. This includes Brissa, Solomon Kane, Dark Agnes, Conrad, Kirowan, and El Borak.

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 (of 4)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Jonas Scharf.
On sale 4th September

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #2 (of 4)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Jonas Scharf.
On sale 2nd October

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #3 (of 4)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Jonas Scharf.
On sale November

Conan: The Cult of the Obsidian Moon (Tie-in novel)
Written by James Lovegrove.
On sale 19th November

Note: Conan: The Cult of the Obsidian Moon is a novel published by Titan Books that ties into the events of Battle of the Black Stone. Find out more details here. It would say that the novel is optional, but check it out if you wish to extend your reading experience.

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #4 (of 4)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Jonas Scharf.
On sale December.

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After Conan: Battle of the Black Stone

What should you read after Conan: Battle of the Black Stone? Titan Comics hasn’t revealed what’s instore for Conan yet.

However, it’s worth noting that Conan the Barbarian (2023 series) is still being published at the same time as Conan: Battle of the Black Stone, even if it doesn’t tie into the event. Check out issues #13 onwards if you need more Conan in your life.

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