In the wake of the announcement that the Star Wars comics line will be making an exodus from Dark Horse Comics, the publisher has been releasing plenty of teasers for what they have in store to replace the iconic franchise. Thus far we haven’t really seen a new series or franchise that’s as epic as Star Wars, but instead we’re being treated to a myriad of titles that offer up a wider scope of storytelling styles and genres. In the end the loss of Star Wars by Dark Horse may equal a gain for fans of alternative comic book stories with the company’s choices in filling the void.

We’ve already seen previews of the upcoming Tomb Raider and Terminator series and now we have a new Conan offering on the way titled King Conan: The Conqueror. In this new series, Conan is a fugitive on the run trying to find the key to regaining his throne.

King Conan: The Conqueror is written by Tim Truman with art from Tomás Giorello. King Conan: The Conqueror #1 will be released on February 26, 2014 and is available for pre-order now. We’ve got an 8-page preview of the first issue here below.

Conan and the People of the Black Circle #1
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Ariel Olivetti
Letters by Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Cover by Ariel Olivetti
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 23, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

Based on a couple of panels of preview art I saw, I was set to love Conan and the People of the Black Circle #1. Painted! And Ariel Olivetti‘s Conan looked like a real badass. I even pulled up my online pull list to put it in this week’s basket.

But then I got my advance reading copy and with each successive page, my initial enthusiasm waned. There’s something just”¦missing here. It felt flat overall, lacking dynamism and fluidity, with some pages containing only three or four illustrations per. There were some compositional elements that made it seem like the characters weren’t looking/reacting to each other. It also appeared that a profile illo of the evil sorcerer was repurposed three times, and not for dramatic effect.

Conan the Phenomenon
Written by Paul M. Sammon
Foreward by Michael Moorcock
Art by Various
Edited by Philip Simon
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

The title of this compendium sounds like the third Ahnuld Conan movie if Joel Schumacher had directed it.

All kidding aside, Conan The Phenomenon, by Paul M. Sammon, is a chronological examination of Conan the Barbarian, starting at the beginning, and going right up to 2007 “” and as expected, it contains a lot of Frank Frazetta art, and a detailed look at the making of the Conan films.

But this book is also loaded with little-seen material “” my interest in Conan runs fairly deep, and I found plenty of material that was new to me. Beyond the informative biographical material and comprehensive list of all the published novels, I loved the relatively clean-cut Conan, illustrated by Wally Wood, and clearly bearing the likeness of popular actor Victor Mature. And I almost laughed out loud at British publisher T.V. Boardman‘s cover to Conan the Conqueror. I want a poster of that cover.

Red Sonja #76
Written by Brandon Jerwa
Art by Sergio Fernandez Davila
Colors by Salvatore Aiala Studios
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Lucio Parrillo
Edited by Joseph Rybandt
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 29, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Red Sonja #76 begins a brand new five issue story arc by new writer Brandon Jerwa. Some BIG things happen this issue, and as usual, I’m not going to tell you what they are, but I WILL tell you why you should pick this book up!

Brandon Jerwa begins his run with a bang!! It’s unusual that a new writer can shake things up this much. The story starts as a normal Red Sonja adventure, but Jerwa incorporates some mystery into the action, which is a very welcome change and addition to the title. The action, which is plentiful, is fast and hugely entertaining. In this issue, through happenstance, he turns the heroin into a villain while still keeping the readers just as confused as Red Sonja. It all leads to a fantastic last page reveal that not only solves the mystery, but gets the reader VERY excited for the next issue.

Once again, Dark Horse Comics has given Geeks of Doom exclusive access to five great new comics coming in May and June. And you know what? We want to give you a sneak peek, too! Because trust me, these are some great books here. Check out all five covers here below!

First off, releasing on May 29, is King Conan: Hour of the Dragon #2 (of 6). This second installment in the adaptation of Robert E. Howard‘s only actual Conan novel is sure to please. I know the cover by Gerald Parel definitely gets you interested with that vicious claw reaching forth towards our hero. Then, just in case you didn’t get your Cimmerian fix with that one, we have Conan the Barbarian #17 arriving on June 19 with a wonderful aquatic cover by Massimo Carnevale (I loved his Orchid covers, too).

But the big release day is June 26! Showing off the Shu Yan cover to Akaneiro #2 (of 3), I find myself really interested in this set. Look how kickass she looks! Remember, this is based upon the new release from Spicy Horse Games (be sure to check that out, too). Next up is a comic that originally debuted in Dark Horse Presents: Amala’s Blade #3 (of 4) has a very eye-catching cover from Michael Dialynas. Although I know next to nothing about this miniseries, the sheer quantity of skulls in the art gets my attention. And last, but certainly not least, we get to show you Mind MGMT #12. MTV Geek named this comic one of the top ten comics in 2012. I’m impressed with this series across the board, especially since Matt Kindt is the only person working on this book…yeah, that’s right, he does it all!

A big thanks to Dark Horse for letting us have first crack at these wonderful comics. But enough from me, here is YOUR first look: