Roger Ebert's 'Perfect Fantasy' Character Stars in Mysterious New Adventure

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Back in 1982, the legendary film critic, Roger Ebert, described Conan the Barbarian as the "perfect fantasy" in his review of the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring film version of the classic Robert E. Howard character. That perfect fantasy character is about to star in his second major crossover event at Titan Comics starting this September called The Scourge of the Serpent, as Conan takes on the Egyptian god, Set.

Longtime Marvel fans might recall that Conan has had confrontations with Set's forces ever since the early days of Marvel's Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith's Conan the Barbarian in the early 1970s, and the Conan version of Set became a major Thor villain, as well (and, in fact, was the central figure in the Marvel crossover event, Atlantis Attacks, in 1988. And yes, it is weird that the crossover was about Set, and yet it was called Atlantis Attacks, despite Atlantis playing a relatively minor role in the overall event). However, Conan hasn't really fought the full force of Set..until now!

What is the solicitation for the Scourge of the Serpent?

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (OF 4)

(W) Jim Zub (A) Ivan Gil

Publisher: Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics

FC, 32pp, $4.99, On Sale September 24, 2025

Spinning out of the pages of the Free Comic Book Day Special, the new Conan epic starts here!

CONAN OF CIMMERIA has encountered Stygian sorcery and snake-sent creatures many times in his grand adventures, but he has never faced the true unspeakable power of SET... until NOW.

The serpent god's influence coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it. Three stunning supernatural stories will weave together to answer a chilling question of past and present - What is Set's grand plan for humanity and, now that it's begun, can it be stopped?

COVER A: ROBERTO DE LA TORRE

COVER B:JOHN MCCREA

COVER C: GEOF ISHERWOOD

COVER D: MATÍAS BERGARA

COVER E: CHRIS STEVENS

COVER F: ROBERTO DE LA TORRE FOIL TRADE ($14.99)

COVER G: ROBERTO DE LA TORRE 'GLOW-IN-THE-DARK' ($14.99)

How does The Scourge of the Serpent serve as a crossover event?

As seen in the preview pages for Titan Comics' Conan the Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent #1, Conan's adventure is only PART of the overall story of The Scourge of the Serpent. You see, the power of Set is so great that it has been an issue throughout many different points in history. When the event was announced as part of a promo for Free Comic Book Day earlier this year, writer Jim Zub explained, “Scourge of the Serpent is about three different times and three different stories, but also how they’re happening simultaneously in terms of metaphysical reality—that each one can affect the other because they’re all taking place NOW. It’s a heady concept, but also right in line with recursive cycles Robert E. Howard wove into his pulp tales. So thematically it was already there, I’m just pulling those strings together to make a rope, narratively-speaking.”

So on top of Conan, we will also see King Kull (in Conan's past), and occult investigator John Kirowan (set in the 1930s), both notable Robert E. Howard creations, get involved in this crossover.

Conan the Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent #1 is due out on September 25th.

Source: Titan Comics