Wonder Woman/Conan crossover scribe promises blood, dust and brand new villains

This September, Wonder Woman will encounter something very rare: a male comrade who wears even less clothing than she does.

In Wonder Woman/Conan, the Amazon Princess will team up with the Barbarian himself, Conan the Cimmerian, in a six-issue series published jointly by DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics. The books will be written by long-time Wonder Woman scribe, Gail Simone, and drawn by her long-time Wonder Woman collaborator, Aaron Lopresti. And Simone is no stranger to hacking swords and torn loincloth, either — she helmed a successful two-year run on Red Sonja at Dynamite Comics, as well as a crossover miniseries between Sonja and Conan.

Polygon caught up with Simone at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend to ask what her story entails for the the Amazon and the Cimmerian. Swords, sorcery and some brand new, powerful villainesses was the answer.

“I’m a huge fan of sword and sorcery and barbarian type stories. So to be able to take Conan, who’s never met a DC hero before, and have him come across Wonder Woman ... he’s never met, in his wildest dreams, anything like her,” Simone told Polygon.

Aaron Lopresti/DC Comics/Dark Horse Comics

She wasn’t able to reveal much about the story — just that Conan and Wonder Woman find themselves in an ancient world of magic and adventure that neither of them recognize, and they’ll have to band together to win the day.

“What I like about the two of them together is not only are they both warriors, but they’re both super-intelligent,” Simone said. “And that’s something that a lot of people don’t know about the character of Conan, is just how intelligent he is as well. He’s not just a big guy in a loincloth with a sword, going out trying to chop off heads. He’s actually a very smart, intelligent character. I think that works really well with Wonder Woman because she is a great warrior and highly intelligent as well.

“That doesn’t mean that they have the same motivations or look at things the same ways, but they learn about each other and what each other’s strengths and weaknesses are.”

Aside from showcasing the oft-overlooked intelligence of the infamous Barbarian, readers will also get a new perspective on Wonder Woman: Conan’s. One of the details Simone was able to share was that upon first brush, Conan mistakes Diana for someone from his past, saying that, until he realizes the truth, “You get to see Wonder Woman, a little bit, through his eyes.”

But ultimately, for Simone, it’s all about capturing the sword and sorcery tone. “The reason I love barbarian stories is they’re so grounded. I like it when you can really feel the dust and the mud and the blood and the high emotions on the page,” she told Polygon.

And if you’ve ever read one of her barbarian stories, you’ll know that’s something she can deliver.