Conan the Barbarian (comics)
Conan the Barbarian is a comics book title starring the sword-and-sorcery character created by Robert E. Howard, published by the American company Marvel Comics. It debuted with a first issue cover-dated October 1970 and ran for 275 issues until 1993. A commercial success, the title launched a sword-and-sorcery vogue in American 1970s comics. He was often partnered with Red Sonja.
Marvel Comics reacquired the publishing rights in 2018 and started a new run of Conan the Barbarian in January 2019, at first with the creative team of writer Jason Aaron and artist Mahmud A. Asrar. This run ended in November 2021 after 25 issues, when Titan Comics acquired the license to publish Conan comic books in 2022.
Publication history
Conan the Barbarian ran for 275 issues. The book had a single writer, Roy Thomas, on issues #1–115 and then #240–275. It was also the signature work of artist Barry Smith, who pencilled most issues between #1 and #24. Artist John Buscema pencilled the vast bulk of issues #25–190. Interim writers included J. M. DeMatteis, Bruce Jones, Michael Fleisher, Doug Moench, Jim Owsley, Alan Zelenetz, Chuck Dixon, and Don Kraar.Thomas, Marvel's associate editor at the time, had obtained the licensed property from the estate of its creator, Robert E. Howard, after finding Conan chief among readers' requests for literary properties to be adapted to comics, which also included the pulp magazine character Doc Savage, The Lord of the Rings oeuvre of writer J. R. R. Tolkien, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters Tarzan and John Carter of Mars. Elaborating in 2010, he said,
Thomas said another reason for pursuing Thongor was that Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee "liked that name the most.... I soon got stalled by Lin Carter's agent on Thongor... and I got a sudden impulse to go after Conan. Later, following on the success of the Conan series, Lin Carter allowed Marvel to publish a Thongor comic, which appeared as a miniseries in Creatures on the Loose."
After reading and enjoying the paperback Conan of Cimmeria, Thomas contacted Glen Lord, literary agent for the Howard estate, and "I said we can't offer much money but it might increase Conan's audience and so forth, what do you think? I didn't have much elasticity, but I was so embarrassed by the $150 that I upped it to $200 without thinking. So that when Glen agreed... I decided I'd have to write the first issue or so, so that if Goodman objected I could knock a couple pages off my rate to even things out."
The extra cost meant, however, that Marvel could not budget for Buscema, Thomas' first choice, serendipitously opening the door to Smith. Buscema, in a 1994 interview, recalled,
Comics historian Les Daniels noted that "Conan the Barbarian was something of a gamble for Marvel. The series contained the usual elements of action and fantasy, to be sure, but it was set in a past that had no relation to the Marvel Universe, and it featured a hero who possessed no magical powers, little humor and comparatively few moral principles."
Marvel initially published Conan every two months. After sales of #1 were strong Marvel quickly made the title monthly, but sales dropped with each additional issue. Lee decided to cancel the comic with #7, not only because of the weak sales but to use Smith on more popular comics. Thomas argued against the decision and Lee relented, although the book became bimonthly again with #14. By #20 Conan again became monthly because of rising sales, and the comic became one of Marvel's most popular in the 1970s.
Elric of Melniboné first appeared in comics in Conan the Barbarian issues #14–15. The comics were written by Thomas and illustrated by Windsor-Smith, based on a story plotted by Michael Moorcock and Cawthorn, James. Red Sonja was introduced in issue #23.
In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Thomas' work on Conan the Barbarian with Smith and Buscema seventh on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".
Annuals and ''Giant-Size'' series
Twelve issues of Conan Annual were published from 1973 to 1987. Giant-Size Conan was a series of 68 page giants which ran for five issues from September 1974 to 1975.Awards
Academy of Comic Book Arts Shazam Awards1970
- Best New Talent: Barry Smith
- Best Continuing Feature: Conan the Barbarian
- Best Writer : Roy Thomas
- Best Individual Story : Song of Red Sonja from Conan the Barbarian #24 by Roy Thomas and Barry Smith
- Best Continuing Feature: Conan the Barbarian
- Best Penciller : John Buscema
- Superior Achievement by an Individual: Roy Thomas
Collected editions
Essential Marvel
Essential Conan collects Conan the Barbarian #1–25, 530 pages, July 2000, Marvel Comics,Chronicles of Conan
Dark Horse Comics published the Chronicles of Conan series, which comprises 34 volumes released between 2003 and 2017. The chronicles are a digitally-recolored collection of the complete original 275-issue run of the Marvel Comics' title.By Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith :
- Volume 1: Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories – collects issues 1–8.
- Volume 2: Rogues In the House and Other Stories – collects issues 9–13, 16.
- Volume 3: The Monster of the Monoliths and Other Stories – collects issues 14–15, 17–21.
- Volume 4: The Song of Red Sonja and Other Stories – collects issues 23–26 and Red Nails, originally published in Savage Tales 2 & 3.
- Volume 5: The Shadow In the Tomb and Other Stories – collects issues 27–34.
- Volume 6: The Curse of the Golden Skull and Other Stories – collects issues 35–42.
- Volume 7: The Dweller In the Pool and Other Stories – collects issues 43–51.
- Volume 8: Brothers of the Blade and Other Stories – collects issues 52–59.
- Volume 9: Riders of the River-Dragons and Other Stories – collects issues 60–63, 65, 69–71.
- Volume 10: When Giants Walk the Earth and Other Stories – collects issues 72–77, 79–81.
- Volume 11: The Dance of the Skull and Other Stories – collects issues 82–86, 88–90.
- Volume 12: The Beast King of Abombi and Other Stories – collects issues 91, 93–100.
- Volume 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories – collects issues 92, 101–107.
- Volume 14: Shadow of the Beast and Other Stories – collects issues 108–115.
- Volume 15: The Corridor of Mullah-Kajar and Other Stories – collects issues 116–121 and Conan Annual #2
- Volume 16: The Eternity War and Other Stories – collects issues 122–126 and Conan Annual #4–5
- Volume 17: The Creation Quest and Other Stories – collects issues 127–134 and Conan Annual #6.
- Volume 18: The Isle of the Dead and Other Stories – collects issues 135–142.
- Volume 19: Deathmark and Other Stories – collects issues 143–150.
- Volume 20: Night of the Wolf and Other Stories – collects issues 151–159.
- Volume 21: Blood of the Titan and Other Stories – collects 160–167 and Conan Annual #7.
- Volume 22: Reavers In the Borderland and Other Stories – collects Conan Annuals #8 and #9, and issues 168–173.
- Volume 23: Well of Souls and Other Stories – collects issues 174–181 and Conan Annual #10.
- Volume 24: Blood Dawn and Other Stories – collects issues 182–189 and Conan Annual #11.
- Volume 25: Exodus and Other Stories – collects issues 190–198.
- Volume 26: Legion of the Dead and Other Stories – collects issues 199–205 and Conan Annual #12.
- Volume 27: Sands Upon the Earth and Other Stories – collects issues 206–214 and Handbook of the Conan Universe.
- Volume 28: Blood And Ice and Other Stories – collects issues 215–223.
- Volume 29: The Shape In the Shadow and Other Stories – collects issues 224–232.
- Volume 30: The Death of Conan and Other Stories – collects issues 233–240.
- Volume 31: Empire of the Undead and Other Stories – collects issues 241–249.
- Volume 32: The Second Coming of Shuma-Gorath and Other Stories – collects issues 250–258.
- Volume 33: The Mountain Where Crom Dwells and Other Stories – collects issues 259–267.
- Volume 34: Betrayal in Zamora and Other Stories – collects issues 268–275.