Savage Sword of Conan

Infobox comic book title
title=The Savage Sword of Conan


caption=The cover to "The Savage Sword of Conan" #1 (Aug. 1974). Art by Boris Vallejo.
schedule=Monthly
format=black-and-white
ongoing =y
publisher=Curtis Magazines, Marvel Comics
date=Aug. 1974–1995
issues=235
main_char_team=Conan
writers=Roy Thomas, many others
artists=
pencillers=
inkers=
letterers=
colorists=
editors=Roy Thomas, others
sort=PAGENAME

"The Savage Sword of Conan" was a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. Dark Horse Comics has issued a series of trade paperbacks collecting and reprinting early issues of the title.

"Savage Sword of Conan" starred Robert E. Howard's most famous creation, Conan the Barbarian, and has the distinction of being the longest-surviving title of the short-lived Curtis imprint.

Publishing History

Roy Thomas was the editor and primary writer for the series's first few years (until issue 60), which featured art by such notable illustrators as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Pablo Marcos, and Walter Simonson. Painted covers were provided by such artists as Earl Norem, Bob Larkin, and Joe Jusko.

"Savage Sword of Conan" was published under the Curtis imprint until issue 60, when it became part of the Marvel Magazine Group.

"Savage Sword of Conan" ran until issue #235 (July 1995).

Dark Horse

In 2007, Dark Horse Comics began issuing a series of trade paperbacks, collecting and reprinting early issues of the title, as well as stories which originally appeared in "Savage Tales".

Partial bibliography

Issue 1

The first issue leads off with Thomas and Windsor-Smith's adaptation of one of Howard’s shortest but most well-known Conan tales, "The Frost Giant’s Daughter." This is one of Conan’s earliest tales chronologically. Still a teenager, he encounters a beautiful woman in the frozen north who leads him into an ambush by her giant brothers. The second story in "The Savage Sword of Conan" #1 (again by Thomas and Windsor-Smith) is an adaptation of "Howard's Red Nails."

Issue 2

Another Howard adaptation, "Black Colossus," in which Conan faces off against a three-thousand-year-old sorcerer. This story teams long time "Conan" penciler John Buscema with his frequent partner Alcala.

Issue 5

The cover sports a Boris Vallejo painting of Conan being crucified, from the story "A Witch Shall Be Born." This story features Conan at his most resilient, surviving a desert crucifixion to get revenge on the man who put him there.

Issue 6

"People of the Dark," a 30-page tale scripted by Thomas and drawn by Alex Niño.

Issue 10

Concludes the adaptation of Howard’s only full-length Conan novel, "The Hour of the Dragon". (The first parts were printed in "Giant-Size Conan".)

See also

* Conan (comics)
* Conan (Marvel Comics)

References

* [http://www.comics.org/series.lasso?SeriesID=2187 The Grand Comics Database Project]