Kull Volume 1 The Shadow Kingdom

More comfortable with a sword than a scepter, the enigmatic Kull has recently crowned himself king and seeks to unite the once proud and powerful land of Valusia. As representatives from all corners of his kingdom seek his counsel, the warrior-king accepts a strange invitation from the Pictish emissary. Kull will need to discard ancient prejudices if he's to save the newly united Valusian empire from a clandestine enemy that once threatened to enslave and exterminate mankind! Aided by Brule—a hotheaded Pict confidant—Kull uncovers layers of deception and treachery in the ancient halls of the Tower of Splendor and faces the growing threat of the devious Serpent Cult! Join us as we discover Valusia's darkest secrets and witness the first days of its mightiest king. • Collection features a new cover by Paul Renaud. • See pages 28-29 for the conclusion to Arvid Nelson's acclaimed Rex Mundi series and the return of Zero Killer! • "Strong storytelling, powerful action, real emotion, great detail work, and a balls-to-the-wall sense of power from his main character."—Comic Book Resources

The blare of the trumpets grew louder, like a deep golden tide surge, like the soft booming of the evening tides against the silver beaches of Valusia. The throng shouted, women flung roses from the roofs as the rhythmic chiming of silver hoofs came clearer and the first of the mighty array swung into view in the broad white street that curved round the golden-spired Tower of Splendor...FROM THE BOOKS.

In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. From his fertile imagination sprang some of fiction’s most enduring heroes. Yet while Conan is indisputably Howard’s greatest creation, it was in his earlier sequence of tales featuring Kull, a fearless warrior with the brooding intellect of a philosopher, that Howard began to develop the distinctive themes, and the richly evocative blend of history and mythology, that would distinguish his later tales of the Hyborian Age. Much more than simply the prototype for Conan, Kull is a fascinating character in his own right: an exile from fabled Atlantis who wins the crown of Valusia, only to find it as much a burden as a prize. This groundbreaking collection, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Justin Sweet, gathers together all Howard’s stories featuring Kull, from Kull’ s first published appearance, in “The Shadow Kingdom,” to “Kings of the Night,” Howard’ s last tale featuring the cerebral swordsman. The stories are presented just as Howard wrote them, with all subsequent editorial emendations removed. Also included are previously unpublished stories, drafts, and fragments, plus extensive notes on the texts, an introduction by Howard authority Steve Tompkins, and an essay by noted editor Patrice Louinet. Praise for Kull “Robert E. Howard had a gritty, vibrant style–broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.”—David Gemmell “Howard’s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.”—Stephen King “Howard was a true storyteller–one of the first, and certainly among the best, you’ll find in heroic fantasy. If you’ve never read him before, you’ re in for a real treat.”—Charles de Lint “For stark, living fear . . . what other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard?”—H. P. Lovecraft

David Lapham (Stray Bullets) pits Robert E. Howard's original barbarian king against a terrifying magical foe from his doomed homeland of Atlantis. The Hate Witch has waited from the beginning of time for a great man of uncertain destiny, whom she can use to bring about the destruction of civilization. She believes that King Kull is that man, and she has launched an all-out assault on Valusia, slaughtering its people, in an attempt to draw him to her seat of power—the wilds of Atlantis! Kull will have to return to his savage origins if he wants to hold onto the throne in Valusia and save it from civil war! Collects issues #1-#4 of the miniseries.

Kull's uneasy rule is again threatened by the serpent cult determined to destroy him, as it seeks aid from his most frightening foe, the immortal Thulsa Doom! * Written by David Lapham (Stray Bullets, The Strain)! * Thulsa Doom!

On the run from the army of Turan, Conan and fellow fugitive Olivia hide out on a small island in the Vilayet Sea. They soon find themselves stalked by an unseen terror in the jungles and threatened by a group of pirates belonging to the Red Brotherhood, which is led by Conan's sworn enemy-Sergius of Koth! However, those may be the least of Conan's concerns, because when the moon rises on this island, the ruins of a lost civilization stir and an ancient, deadly curse awakens! Conan will be pushed to his limits as he and Olivia fight to survive! * Collects Conan the Cimmerian issues #22-#25, plus the Weight of the Crown one-shot with its MySpace Dark Horse Presents short-story prologue. * This collection completes the epic Dark Horse series Conan the Cimmerian. * Features a foreword by series writer Timothy Truman and an afterword by Robert E. Howard biographer and genre writer Mark Finn!

Legendary artist Joe Kubert's very first sequential Conan work and illustrations by Cary Nord, Justin Sweet, and Joseph Michael Linsner highlight this latest collection of stories from Dark Horse's ongoing Conan the Cimmerian comic -- book series. In his short career as a mercenary, young Conan has impressed both Princess Yasmela and military leader Lord Amalric, but an ambitious rogue prince arrives in Khoraja and blindsides Conan out of the comfortable, courtly situation he's found himself in. Not only is Conan's love affair with Yasmela going south, but rebel Prince Julion immediately challenges Conan's headstrong impulses and military plans, causing a rift between the battered but proud forces of Khoraja and Amalric's army of colorful mercs.

Shadows Kingdoms is the first volume of The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, presenting all of Howard's Work from the classic magazine Weird Tales, meticulously restored to its original texts. This volume begins with "Spear and Fang," Howard's first professional fiction sale, and concludes with "Red Thunder," a gripping sword & sorcery tale. Series characters present in this volume include King Kull and Solomon Kane.