''The Savage Sword of Conan'' was a black-and-white magazine-format
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of American company
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
, and then later by Marvel itself. ''Savage Sword of Conan'' starred Robert E. Howard's most famous creation,
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Conan the Destroyer''), ...
, and has the distinction of being the longest-surviving title of the short-lived Curtis imprint.
As a "magazine", ''Savage Sword of Conan'' did not have to conform to the Comics Code Authority, making it a publication of choice for many illustrators. It soon became one of the most popular comic series of the 1970s and is now considered a cult classic.
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...
was the editor and primary writer for the series' first few years (until issue 60), which featured art by illustrators such as
Neal Adams
Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
,
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics.
Early ...
John Buscema
John Buscema (; ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema, December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)Social Se ...
,
Alfredo Alcala
Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 4, 2000) was a Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. His 1963 cr ...
,
Jim Starlin
James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...
Bob Larkin
Bob Larkin (born July 10, 1949) is an American comics artist primarily known for his painted covers for Marvel Comics' magazine-format titles Marvel Magazines in the 1970s and early 1980s and for his 32 painted covers on the Bantam Books paperba ...
, 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. Stories from the comic were reprinted in the Marvel UK title of the same name. The original run of ''Savage Sword of Conan'' ran until issue #235 (July 1995).
Marvel Comics reacquired the publishing rights in 2018, and started a new run of ''Savage Sword of Conan'' collected editions beginning in February 2019. In 2022, Titan Comics acquired the license to reprint the magazine in new collected editions.
Publication history
The adventures in ''Savage Sword of Conan'' are not always consecutive (as they are in the color Marvel title ''
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and ''Conan the Destroyer''), ...
''), and they cover different eras of Conan's life. The ''Savage Sword'' stories mostly feature an older Conan, and adapt Robert E. Howard stories and pastiches starting from "
Black Colossus
"Black Colossus" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine, June 1933.Miller/Clark chronology), thus following the
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...
stories in ''Conan the Barbarian''.
The first issue leads off with Thomas and Barry 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. Issue #2 featured another Howard adaptation, "
Black Colossus
"Black Colossus" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine, June 1933.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.
Issues #6-10 included "People of the Dark", a 30-page tale scripted by Thomas and drawn by
Alex Niño
Alex Niño (born May 1, 1940) is a Filipino comics artist best known for his work for the American publishers DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Warren Publishing, and in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine.
Biography
Early life and career
Alex Niño was bo ...
; the continued adaptation of Howard’s only full-length Conan novel, ''
The Hour of the Dragon
''The Hour of the Dragon'', also known as ''Conan the Conqueror'', is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard's ...
'' (the first parts having been printed in ''Giant-Size Conan'' #1-4); and the adaptation of "
Iron Shadows in the Moon
"Shadows in the Moonlight" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine in April 1934. How ...
", by Buscema and Alcala, where Conan goes from chief of the Zuagirs to pirate captain of the Red Brotherhood.
The next three years of the title featured numerous adaptations of Howard stories (many by the art team of Buscema and Alcala), including " Shadows in Zamboula", " The Devil in Iron", " The People of the Black Circle", " The Slithering Shadow", "
The Pool of the Black One
"The Pool of the Black One" is one of the original short stories starring the sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. It's set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, and concerns Conan becom ...
Jewels of Gwahlur
"Jewels of Gwahlur" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, it concerns several parties, ...
", "
Beyond the Black River
"Beyond the Black River" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in '' Weird Tales'' magazine, v. 25, nos. 5-6, May-June 1935. The story was republished in ...
", "
The Scarlet Citadel
"The Scarlet Citadel" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in the January, 1933 issue of '' Weird Tales'' magaz ...
", "
The Flame Knife
''The Flame Knife'' is a 1955 fantasy novella by American writers Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp, featuring Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was revised by de Camp from Howard's original story, a then-unpublished o ...
", "
Hawks Over Shem
"Hawks over Shem" is a fantasy short story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, featuring Conan the Barbarian and published in 1955. It's based on the story "Hawks over Egypt" by Robert E. Howard and is usually credited to both authors.
Synop ...
Wolves Beyond the Border
"Wolves Beyond the Border" is one of the original stories by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring Conan the Cimmerian, a fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard's lifetime. It is a peripheral story in the canon ...
".
Collected editions
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''.The full series was reprinted as the Chronicles of Conan in 34 volumes with new colors. In 2018 when Marvel resumed the rights it began publishing its own collected editions of original Marvel material. In 2022, Titan Comics acquired the license to reprint the magazine in new collected editions.