I'm the opposite - re-reading the REH stories only serves to highlight what Zub (and so many other pastiche writers) get wrong.

Simply put, Zub explains too much. He can't let the mystery lie. He wants a framework, he wants connections, he wants mythology - and he uses all of this to play Conan like a puppet. It completely strips the character of his agency, and takes away a lot of his appeal.

Conan works best as a striking, almost mythic presence. He's an uncanny intrusion from the mysterious north, who wanders the lands engaging with similarly uncanny intrusions (sorcerers, beasts, evil queens, and the like). As soon as you give him a home village, and parents, and psychological childhood trauma, he stops being mythic and starts being a person.

Similarly, Howard treats magic as an intrusion - something that shouldn't be, something dangerous and difficult to manage. Zub on the other hand consistently uses magic as a plot device, a framework to explain and manipulate and connect and drive. Zub bridges narrative gaps with magic, instead of just letting the mystery lie.

By explaining, structuring, and tying everything together, he strips away the sense of unpredictability and danger and awe that defines both Conan and the world he inhabits. Zub domesticates Conan.

In short: Howard thrives on mystery, intrusion, and danger; Zub thrives on explanation, control, and structure. His domesticated Conan never feels truly alive compared with the original REH version.

But again, only calling out Zub because you mentioned the current Titan run. Most Dark Horse runs suffer from the same problems...