{"id":34551,"date":"2025-12-20T17:06:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T17:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=34551"},"modified":"2025-12-20T17:06:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T17:06:31","slug":"conan-the-barbarian-epic-collection-volume-1-the-coming-of-conan-1970-1972-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/12\/20\/conan-the-barbarian-epic-collection-volume-1-the-coming-of-conan-1970-1972-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Conan the Barbarian Epic Collection volume 1: The Coming of Conan (1970-1972)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Roy Thomas<\/strong> & Barry Windsor-Smith<\/strong> with John Jakes<\/strong>, Gil Kane<\/strong>, Dan Adkins<\/strong>, Sal Buscema<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, Tom Palmer<\/strong>, Tom Sutton<\/strong>, \u201cDiverse Hands\u201d<\/strong>, Marie Severin<\/strong>, John Romita Sr.<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-2555-0 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Because We Believe in Blockbusters… 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the 1970\u2019s the US comic book industry opened up after more than 15 years of cautiously calcified publishing practises that had come about as a reaction to censorious oversight of its self- inflicted Comics Code Authority. This body was created to keep the publishers\u2019 product wholesome after the industry suffered their very own McCarthy-style Witch-hunt during the 1950s.<\/p>\n

One of the first genres revisited was Horror\/Mystery comics and from that sprang pulp masterpiece Conan the Cimmerian<\/strong>, via a tale in anthology Chamber of Darkness<\/strong> #4, whose hero bore no little thematic resemblance to the Barbarian. It was written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Barry (Windsor-) Smith, a recent Marvel find, and one who was gradually breaking out of the company\u2019s all-encompassing Jack Kirby house-style.<\/p>\n

Despite some early teething problems – including being cancelled and reinstated in the same month – the comic book adventures of Robert E. Howard\u2019s brawny warrior became as big a success as the revived prose paperbacks which had heralded a world flowering in tales of fantasy and the supernatural.<\/p>\n

After decades away, the brawny brute recently eventually to the aegis of Marvel. Designated \u201cthe Original Marvel Years\u201d (due to the character\u2019s sojourn with other publishers\/intellectual properties rights holders), this bombastic tome of groundbreaking action fantasy yarns re-presents the contents of Conan the Barbarian<\/strong> #1-13 plus that trailblazing short story, cumulatively spanning cover-dates April 1970 to January 1972. Digitally remastered and available as a trade paperback or eBook, these are the absorbing arcane adventures that sparked a revolution in comics and a franchising empire in my youth, and are certainly good enough to do so again. They are also astonishingly readable…
\n\"\"
\nThe drama begins most fittingly after a glimpse at a classic map of \u2018The Hyborean Age of Conan\u2019<\/em> plus an accompanying quote I\u2019m sure every devoted acolyte already knows by heart, after which that precursor romp sets the scene.<\/p>\n

Set in modern America, \u2018The Sword and the Sorcerers!\u2019<\/em> primes the pump with the tale of a successful writer who foolishly decides to kill off his most beloved character Starr the Slayer<\/em>: a barbarian so beloved that he has taken on a life of his own and is determined to do whatever is necessary to keep it…
\n\"\"
\nAfter that we are catapulted back in time approximately 12,000 years into a forgotten age of terrors and wonders as scripter Thomas broadly follows Howard\u2019s life path for young Conan of Cimmeria<\/em>, beginning with the still teenaged warrior\u2019s meeting with a clairvoyant wizard who predicts a regal destiny in \u2018The Coming of Conan\u2019<\/em> (inked by Dan Adkins), through brief but brutal enslavement in \u2018The Lair of the Beastmen\u2019<\/em> (Sal Buscema finishes), before experiencing a minor Ragnarok and witnessing \u2018The Twilight of the Grim Grey God!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

An aura of lyrical cynicism grows to balance the wealth of mystical menaces and brooding horror as the wanderer becomes a professional thief and judge of human foibles in \u2018The Tower of the Elephant\u2019<\/em>. Conan\u2019s softer side is revealed in CtB<\/strong> #5 after meeting bewitching \u2018Zukala\u2019s Daughter\u2019<\/em> (Frank Giacoia inks) and liberating a wizard-plagued town. Buscema returned for \u2018Devil Wings over Shadizar\u2019<\/em>, wherein the warrior lad tackles a welter of antediluvian terrors, with both Adkins & Sal B applying their pens and brushes to expose \u2018The Lurker Within\u2019<\/em> – based on Howard\u2019s magnificent chiller The God in the Bowl<\/strong> – after which tomb raider Conan crushes zombies and dinosaurs in \u2018The Keepers of the Crypt\u2019<\/em> (inked by Toms Palmer & Sutton)…
\n\"\"
\nThomas\u2019s avowed plan was to closely follow Conan\u2019s established literary career from all-but-boyhood to his eventual crowning as King of Aquilonia, adding to and adapting Howard\u2019s prose works and that of his posthumous collaborators on the way. This agenda led to some of the best, freshest comics of the decade. The results of (not-yet-Windsor-) Smith\u2019s search for his own graphic style led to unanimous acclaim and many awards for the creative duo.<\/p>\n

By issue #9 the character had taken the comics world by storm and any threat of cancelation was long gone. \u2018The Garden of Fear\u2019 –<\/em> adapted by Thomas & Smith, with inks by Sal B from Howard\u2019s short story – features a spectacular battle with a primordial survivor in a lost valley before the wanderer returns to big city life, and learns too late to \u2018Beware the Wrath of Anu!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

This god-slaying bout is mere prelude to another classic Howard adaptation, \u2018Rogues in the House\u2019<\/em>: an early masterpiece of action and intrigue benefitting from a temporary doubling in page count.<\/p>\n

\u2018Dweller in the Dark\u2019<\/em> is an all-original yarn of monsters and maidens, notable because artist Smith inked his own pencils, and indications of his detailed fine-line illustrative style can be seen for the first time. An added bonus in that issue was a short back-up yarn by Thomas & Gil Kane with \u201cDiverse Hands\u201d called in to ink \u2018The Blood of the Dragon!\u2019<\/em>: telling of a very different Hyborian hero getting what he deserves…
\n\"\"
\nFantasy author John Jakes plotted the final tale in this initial outing as \u2018Web of the Spider-God\u2019<\/em> offers a sardonic drama of the desert with the surly Cimmerian battling thirst, tyranny. pompous priests and a big, big bug in a riotous romp finished off by Thomas, Smith & Buscema.<\/p>\n

Adding value to the treasury is a vast bonus section which includes pencilled cover art (used and unused); Thomas\u2019 original script breakdowns as annotated by the artist; extracts from Marvelmania<\/strong> (the company\u2019s first in-house fanzine); unused illustrations, house ads and Marvel bulletin items; cover roughs, concepts and finished art by Marie Severin & Gil Kane; Jakes\u2019 plot synopsis and many pages of original art from the tales collected herein.<\/p>\n

Also on show are cover galleries of the Marvel Books reprint paperback line and the Conan Classic<\/strong> comics series – all by Windsor-Smith – plus even before-&-after alterations demanded by the Comics Code Authority on the still contentious and controversial title.
\n\"\"
\nThese re-mastered epics are a superb way to enjoy some of US comics\u2019 most influential and enjoyable blockbuster moments. They should have a place carved out on your bookshelf.
\n\u00a9 2020 Conan Properties International, LLC (\u201cCPI\u201d).<\/p>\n

Herrrr<\/em><\/strong>–<\/strong>ge\u2019s Ad<\/em>–<\/strong>Ventures of Tinnnn<\/em>–<\/strong>Tinn! (well, some of them) were largely drawn by Bob deMoor<\/strong>, who was born today in 1925, as was the wonderful Michael Zulli<\/strong> in 1952. Have you read The Puma Blues: The Complete Collection in One Volume<\/a><\/strong>?<\/p>\n

In 1982 today, mangaka Katsuhiro Otomo<\/strong> saw the first episode of his astounding Akira<\/strong> epic published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Roy Thomas & Barry Windsor-Smith with John Jakes, Gil Kane, Dan Adkins, Sal Buscema, Frank Giacoia, Tom Palmer, Tom Sutton, \u201cDiverse Hands\u201d, Marie Severin, John Romita Sr. & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-2555-0 (TPB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Because We Believe in Blockbusters… 9\/10 … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Conan the Barbarian Epic Collection volume 1: The Coming of Conan (1970-1972)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,351,411,290,239,102,332,146,225,242,226,107,256,156],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-apes-monkeys","category-barry-windsor-smith","category-dinosaurs","category-drama","category-fantasy","category-gil-kane","category-marvel-horror","category-mystery","category-pirates","category-red-sonja","category-science-fiction","category-sword-sorcery","category-world-classics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8Zh","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34551"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34559,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34551\/revisions\/34559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}