Conan The Barbarian #28 Preview

 

COVER A: GERARDO ZAFFINO

 

Conan enjoyed life as a mercenary. There were no big decisions to be made. He fought, he partied, and he earned money. But life had more in store for Conan than following Sumner into battle as one of his Westermark Wolves. Now, Conan is the general of Trocero's forces, and King Numedides has branded him a traitor. Will Conan lead the forces of Poitain against Tarantia? And will King Numedides share King Ferdrugo de Ramiro III's fate?

Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

 

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #28 (ONGOING)

Format: Comic book

(W) Jim Zub

(A) Fernando Dagnino

Publisher: Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures

FC, 32pp, $4.99, On Sale January 28, 2026

 

YEAR THREE OF THE TITAN/HEROIC CONAN LEGACY CONTINUES!

 

ALL-NEW CONAN STORY ARC CONCLUDES!

 

THE CONQUERING CROWN: The King of Aquilonia has gone mad, or so the rumors say. A tyrant sits upon the throne and all will suffer until he is deposed or dead. Conan the Mercenary cares nothing for these royal rumors and petty politics, but the Cimmerian’s skill in battle is about to put him in the path of a mad monarch, and his life will be forever changed.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

 

COVER B: SWEENEY BOO

 

COVER C: SCOTT CAMPBELL

COVER F: GERARDO ZAFFINO BW BLOOD VAR

 

Also available:

COVER D: GERARDO ZAFFINO FOIL TRADE ($14.99)

COVER E: GERARDO ZAFFINO VIRGIN

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1 Review

 

Writer: Stephanie Phillips

Artist: Paolo Villanelli

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: David Marquez & Marte Gracia; Matteo Lolli; Nogi San; J Scott Campbell; Simone Di Meo

Production Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Emerald Bensadoun, Martin Biro, Jordan D White & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

Granted the power of a god, Gwen Stacy used the Cosmic Cube to visit King Loki’s world. She saw how King Loki abandoned his subjects and how jealousy consumed him. So instead of gifting King Loki her powers, Gwen used the Cosmic Cube to craft an ending for the trickster-god, redress some wrongs, and write a new beginning for herself.

 

Now, Gwen Stacy is starting over. She's made a new home on Earth-616. She shares an apartment with her father instead of living alone in an unfurnished apartment. Carlos LaMuerto has moved into the Big House, but his son Fabian also gets a second chance. How will Gwen tackle crime without a Cosmic Cube or a symbiote? Will Gwen put on her Cyclops Was Right T-shirt again? And will King Loki ever swim with sharks? We’re going to need a bigger comic, so let’s leap into the twenty-six-page All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1 and see!

 

 

 

Story

When Gwen Stacy looks back on her life, what she has lost looms large. She gained superpowers but lost Peter Parker. Blamed for his death, Gwen became a fugitive in her world. Then, Cindy Moon took away the powers granted by a radioactive spider. Even though she gained venom superpowers, Gwen eventually lost everything: her father, the Mary Janes, and Earth-65. When TVA agent Ouroborous brought her to Earth-616, Carlos LaMuerto and his agents bounced Gwen around like a Ping-Pong ball. Ultimately, King Loki's cosmic tour led Gwen to destroy Solara Prime, a world she only wanted to help.

 

In All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1, she has used the Cosmic Cube's energy to regain her original spider-powers. Gwen lives with her father in New York City on Earth-616. The police no longer hunt her for grand theft auto, defacing buildings, and stealing children's ice cream cones. (That's a good thing, as her father works for the police). She resurrected Fabian and is training him to be her sidekick.

 

Unfortunately, as Fabian points out, every action has consequences. Newton’s third rule ripples through Gwen's life, as Stephanie Phillips reveals changes in her friends' behavior. Irony and frustration accompany Gwen's new life on Earth-616. Yet she gains the sense of belonging she has lacked since the Cosmic Cube unleashed an apocalypse on Earth-65. As she fine-tunes her present, the universe strikes back. Gwen doesn’t encounter a Kobayashi Maru in All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1. Neither does she get a total win/win.

 

 

 

Art

Paolo Villanelli fills this new chapter in Gwen’s life with fraught action and emotional intensity. Despite all the changes Gwen has made, her expression often reveals unhappiness, concern, hurt, and anger. A paper that could enhance her future crinkles in her hand. When George Stacy hesitates to face her, Gwen sees his face and body struggle with rage.

 

All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1 begins with red. It covers a garment, Gwen's drum kit, a frantic man's hands, and a still body. Matt Milla fills panels with vivid colors and backgrounds that radiate energy. Yet despite the absence of ravens, black accompanies the abundant colors. 

 

 

 

Black streaks the sky and backgrounds. It seems more dominant on her new costume, and envelops characters. Yet when Gwen meets a new friend and pursues her passion, she shines with pink energy bolstered by green and blue.

 

Ariana Maher thwips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and boxes using conventional arrows. The turquoise bordering the narrative boxes increases when Gwen pursues her passion. The text grows bold for intonation and shrinks for lowered voices. Shouts threaten to pop dialogue balloons. Sound effects accompany Gwen’s experimentation, a pretend fight that is also real, and a storm that destroys everything in its path. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

The spider-totems seem destined to be more reactive than proactive. As Gwen Stacy starts over on Earth-616, she's in the catbird's seat. But as Peter Parker believed he could live the dream until Hellgate's arrival, an unexpected force will Whack-A-Spider in All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Black Cat #1 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Peach Momoko; Simone Di Meo; J Scott Campbell; Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson; Derrick Chew; Jeehyung

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

A master thief’s life is filled with peril. Usually, they prove more injurious emotionally than physically. So why is Black Cat sitting in the night nurse’s waiting room? And how might her battle with Hellgate change her? Let’s put on our catsuits, leap into Black Cat #1, and see!

 

Story

Curt Connors gained superpowers by becoming the Lizard. Since then, the two have gone their separate ways. The Lizard identifies with those society discards, such as Miles Morales’ clone brother Shift, the Vermin, and the unhoused who inhabit New York’s underground. But when the Lizard meets Black Cat in G Willow Wilson’s story, he’s on a mission to understand himself better. Unfortunately, neither he nor Black Cat enjoys others getting in their way.

 

But that’s the problem in Black Cat #1. Suddenly, Felicia Hardy isn’t having things her own way. She pushed away Peter Parker to pursue a relationship with Amelia Morrow. Felicia enjoyed a sometime partnership with Mary Jane. Now, Mary Jane has become a member of another family. Recently, Felicia began to wonder what she had left behind when she broke off things with Peter. But as his life begins to settle down following his battles with Cyttorak’s scions, Hellgate takes Peter away from her again.

 

 

In G Willow Wilson’s story, a fraught chase and fight leave Felicia exhausted. As she looks back on her life, she wonders if being the Black Cat is worth it. Has all her hard work yielded the lasting satisfaction we all seek? While her tangle with the lizard prompts a visit to the nurse’s room, it helps her put things in perspective. With Tombstone making a bid to rule the streets, and Spider-Man keeping his distance and taking a tougher stance on crime, New York is becoming a more dangerous place.

 

Felicia Hardy misses Peter Parker. Their different views on life prevented them from bonding as a couple. But she’s not happy being on her own. So, in Black Cat #1, Felicia wonders: what if I tried to be like him? Or at least, the way Peter used to be?

 

 

 

Art

Gleb Melnikov populates the night nurse’s waiting room with costumed characters in need of her services. Some you may recognize. Others, perhaps not. Whether battling Felicia or sitting in the waiting room, the Lizard exudes power in Black Cat #1. Amid his primal fury, he clutches two cages with due care and concern. After their fight, all the barriers fall. As she sinks into a tub of foamy water, Felicia trades glamor in Gleb Melnikov’s 90s Image superhero art for supermodel vulnerability. 

 

 

 

Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette on Felicia’s flight from the authorities. The setting sun fills the air with gentle pink and orange. As she runs, the brick buildings glow, while the windows of a corner shop burn like a cluster of tiny suns. Hints of streetlights appear in the dark windows of an office where two associates await her call. By the time Black Cat glimpses Spider-Man, the vibrant colors have fled. So, she watches him thwip out of her life beneath a blue and purple sky. 

 

 

 

As Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text, he shares Felicia’s thoughts with white uppercase letters in black narrative boxes. White letters in green boxes translate the Lizard’s hisses, while red letters flit through a panel, reminding Felicia of those pursuing her. Joe Caramagna stokes the engine powering Black Cat #1 with an ample supply of crash, bang, and big bada boom. Yet whether adorning a symbol of her profession, accompanying an homage, or enhancing the night nurse’s invitation, Joe Caramagna fills Felicia’s moment of truth with all the sounds of reality. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Luck can be an elusive target. Some people work all their lives to achieve it. Others seem blessed with an abundance. Felicia Hardy has always radiated luck. But look beneath the surface, and you’ll see all the hard work she does to make her luck in Black Cat #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.