Conan the Barbarian is a comics book title starring the sword-and-sorcerycharacter 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.[1]
Marvel Comics reacquired the publishing rights in 2018 and started a new run of Conan the Barbarian in January 2019,[2] at first with the creative team of writer Jason Aaron and artist Mahmud A. Asrar.[3] This run ended in November 2021 after 25 issues, when Titan Comics acquired the license to publish Conan comic books in 2022.
I put together a memo for publisher Martin Goodman saying why we should [license a character]. ... I hadn't read a lot of Howard, I bought a couple of the books for the Frazetta covers but I'd never really read them. When Goodman gave us permission to license a character, we figured we couldn't afford Conan..... By that time, there'd been about half-a-decade of Conan coming out in Lancer paperbacks, so we figured no sense going after that, there was no way we were going to get it. I knew Lin Carter slightly, who had authored a character called Thongor, who was half Conan and half John Carter of Mars.... Lin was great, but his agent kept wanting us to offer more money than the $150 per issue that Martin Goodman had magnanimously said we could pay for rights.[6]
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."[7]
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."[6]
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,
I was approached by Roy Thomas with the project to do Conan. He mailed a couple of the paperbacks to me and I read 'em and I loved 'em. I told Roy, 'This is what I want, something that I can really sink my teeth into. . . .' [A]t the time, Marvel was owned by Martin Goodman, and he felt that my rate was too high to take a gamble [with] on some new kind of [project]. It wasn't a superhero or anything that had been done before. The closest thing to that would be Tarzan. Anyway, he had no confidence in spending too much money on the book, and that's where Barry Smith came in — [he was] very cheap. I know what he got paid, and I'd be embarrassed to tell you how much it was, because I'd be embarrassed for Marvel.[8]
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."[9]
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.[10]
Elric of Melniboné first appeared in comics in Conan the Barbarian issues #14–15 (March–May 1972). The comics were written by Thomas and illustrated by Windsor-Smith, based on a story plotted by Michael Moorcock and Cawthorn, James.[11][12]Red Sonja was introduced in issue #23 (February 1973).[13]
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".[14]
Annuals and Giant-Size series
Twelve issues of Conan Annual were published from 1973 to 1987.[15]Giant-Size Conan was a series of 68 page giants which ran for five issues from September 1974 to 1975.[16]
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 (unless noted):
Volume 1: Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories (2003) – collects issues 1–8.
Volume 2: Rogues In the House and Other Stories (2003) – collects issues 9–13, 16.
Volume 3: The Monster of the Monoliths and Other Stories (2003) – collects issues 14–15, 17–21 (also by Gil Kane).
Volume 4: The Song of Red Sonja and Other Stories (2004) – collects issues 23–26 and Red Nails, originally published in Savage Tales 2 & 3.
By Roy Thomas and John Buscema (unless noted):
Volume 5: The Shadow In the Tomb and Other Stories (2004) – collects issues 27–34.
Volume 6: The Curse of the Golden Skull and Other Stories (2004) – collects issues 35–42 (also by Neal Adams and Rich Buckler).
Volume 7: The Dweller In the Pool and Other Stories (2005) – collects issues 43–51.
Volume 8: Brothers of the Blade and Other Stories (2005) – collects issues 52–59 (also by Mike Ploog).
Volume 9: Riders of the River-Dragons and Other Stories (2006) – collects issues 60–63, 65, 69–71 (also by Val Mayerik).
Volume 10: When Giants Walk the Earth and Other Stories (2006) – collects issues 72–77, 79–81 (also by Howard Chaykin).
Volume 11: The Dance of the Skull and Other Stories (2007) – collects issues 82–86, 88–90 (also by Howard Chaykin).
Volume 12: The Beast King of Abombi and Other Stories (2007) – collects issues 91, 93–100.
Volume 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories (November 2007) – collects issues 92, 101–107 (also by Sal Buscema).
Volume 14: Shadow of the Beast and Other Stories (2008) – collects issues 108–115.
By J. M. DeMatteis and John Buscema and Others
Volume 15: The Corridor of Mullah-Kajar and Other Stories (July 2008) – collects issues 116–121 and Conan Annual #2
Volume 16: The Eternity War and Other Stories (December 2008) – collects issues 122–126 and Conan Annual #4–5
By J. M. DeMatteis, Bruce Jones, Gil Kane, and Others
Volume 17: The Creation Quest and Other Stories (February 2009) – collects issues 127–134 and Conan Annual #6.
By Bruce Jones and John Buscema and others
Volume 18: The Isle of the Dead and Other Stories (September 2009) – collects issues 135–142.
Volume 19: Deathmark and Other Stories (June 2010) – collects issues 143–150.
By Michael Fleisher and John Buscema and others
Volume 20: Night of the Wolf and Other Stories (December 2010) – collects issues 151–159.
Volume 21: Blood of the Titan and Other Stories (August 2011) – collects 160–167 and Conan Annual #7.
Volume 22: Reavers In the Borderland and Other Stories (July 2012) – collects Conan Annuals #8 and #9, and issues 168–173.
By Jim Owsley and John Buscema and others
Volume 23: Well of Souls and Other Stories (April 2013) – collects issues 174–181 and Conan Annual #10.
Volume 24: Blood Dawn and Other Stories (July 2013) – collects issues 182–189 and Conan Annual #11.
Volume 25: Exodus and Other Stories (November 2013) – collects issues 190–198.
Volume 26: Legion of the Dead and Other Stories (April 2014) – collects issues 199–205 and Conan Annual #12.
Volume 27: Sands Upon the Earth and Other Stories (July 2014) – collects issues 206–214 and Handbook of the Conan Universe.
By Charles Santino and Val Semeiks and others
Volume 28: Blood And Ice and Other Stories (December 2014) – collects issues 215–223.
By Gerry Conway and others
Volume 29: The Shape In the Shadow and Other Stories (March 2015) – collects issues 224–232.
By Michael Higgins and others
Volume 30: The Death of Conan and Other Stories (December 2015) – collects issues 233–240.
By Roy Thomas, Gary Hartle, Michael Docherty, and others
Volume 31: Empire of the Undead and Other Stories (March 2016) – collects issues 241–249.
Volume 32: The Second Coming of Shuma-Gorath and Other Stories (August 2016) – collects issues 250–258.
Volume 33: The Mountain Where Crom Dwells and Other Stories (November 2016) – collects issues 259–267.
Volume 34: Betrayal in Zamora and Other Stories (March 2017) – collects issues 268–275.
The Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives
Volume 1 collects Conan the Barbarian #1–11, 200 pages, February 2010, Dark Horse Comics, ISBN978-1595824417
Volume 2 collects Conan the Barbarian #12–16 and #19–24, 288 pages, May 2010, Dark Horse Comics, ISBN978-1595825063
Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus
Conan and the Midnight God (2007) #1-5, King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel (2011) #1-4, King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword (2012) #1-4, Conan: The Phantoms of the Black Coast (2012) #1-5, material from Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (2006) #1
King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon (2013) #1-6, King Conan: The Conqueror (2014) #1-6, Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border (2015) #1-4, and material from: Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #5
^Thomas, Roy, interview (July 2007). "Writing Comics Turned Out to Be What I Really Wanted to Do with My Life". Alter Ego. 3 (70). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 5–6.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Comic World (UK) #37, March 1995, reprinted in Comic Book Artist #21. August 2002, p. 31b. Interview conducted October 2, 1994.
^Thomas, Roy; Moorcock, Michael; Cawthorn, James (w), Windsor-Smith, Barry (p), Buscema, Sal (i). "The Green Empress of Melniboné" Conan the Barbarian, no. 15 (May 1972).
^Daniels p. 150: "One especially felicitous extrapolation was Red Sonja, a minor Howard character transformed by Thomas into a companion for Conan."
^Comics, Marvel (29 March 2022). Conan the Barbarian Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years - of Once and Future Kings. Marvel Worldwide, Incorporated. ISBN978-1302933531.
