Dark Horse Unveils Surprise Variant Conan Covers by Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola!

In celebration of Mike Mignola'€™s special three issue Conan story line, Dark Horse will be releasing three separate variant covers. In addition to the stunning covers drawn by artist Tony Harris, each issue will have one alternate cover drawn by Mignola himself.

Mignola'€™s short run on the title came about when editor Scott Allie was seeking out Busiek'€™s replacement. Mignola suggested a bizarre and haunting adaptation of Robert E. Howard'€™s "€œThe Hall of the Dead."€

Pursued by a small army, Conan heads for shelter in the ancient ruins of a forgotten city, lured by a flimsy rumor of treasure. Instead, he finds the fallen idols of twisted gods and many croaking creatures. Artist Cary Nord joins Mignola for one of the weirdest tales ever dreamed up by Howard, taking Conan on an adventure far darker, and slimier, than he’s ever faced before.

On the subject of the covers themselves, editor Scott Allie had this to say, "Mike and I had wanted him to do covers on Conan, but I hadn't come up with the right series for him to cover. Then we arrived at the idea of him writing three issues of the monthly, but Tony had just come on as permanent cover artist, so the cover gig wasn't on the table. After we'd solicited the first issue, someone said, Why not have Mike do covers anyway? So we did."

Mignola commented, "When Scott approached me about writing for Conan, I thought ‘The Hall of the Dead’ would give me a chance to do a Conan story my way, with my kind of storytelling. As it started to come together, I thought, why do Tony and Cary get to have all the fun? I love this character and this story, when do I get to draw Conan? It was about that time the phone rang, and Scott asked me how I would feel about doing covers."

After Mignola’s chilling adaptation of "€œThe Hall of the Dead,"€ Tim Truman and Cary Nord pick up plot threads laid out by Busiek, Mignola, and Howard himself, building up to one of Howard’s most famous tales, “Rogues in the House.”

Check darkhorse.com and the Conan zone for more information from editor Scott Allie on what’s in store for the Conan books in 2006.