The Chronicles of Conan, Volume 1: Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories

The Chronicles of Conan

by Robert E. Howard

In the early 1970s, Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian exploded on to the comics scene. Writer Roy Thomas teamed with a young artist named Barry Smith, and together the two mapped out some of the most stirring and memorable Conan adventures to come along since those written by Howard himself. Over the course of their 24-issue run together, Thomas and Smith defined Conan for a generation of comics readers, and now those stories are collected here in a series of trade paperbacks. Featuring completely remastered color and text corrections, and containing material not available for nearly thirty years, these books are the perfect companions to the upcoming all-new Conan series from Dark Horse.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Marvel, Sword and Sorcery

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2003

About the author

Robert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."

He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.

—Wikipedia

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conan the Barbarian was a Marvel Comic with a rather long run (1970-1993). The entire series was the work of one writer- Roy Thomas. It also had artists such as Barry Smith and John Buscema. This volume covers the first 24-issue run of Thomas and Smith. The stories are adapted from Robert E. Howard's Conan stories.

This volume has taken the older style issues and remastered the colors and the text. That makes a huge difference. I will readily admit to having had little interest in initially reading this series, but when I saw the quality of this volume I could not resist. I am very glad I did. Thomas' Conan has all the hallmarks of Howard's creation. Though some may find Smith's artistic version of Conan to be a bit "small", that is due to the overwhelming influence of Schwarzeneggar's portrayal on the big screen.

If you consider yourself a Conan fan then this "remastered" version is certainly for you. I enjoyed the quality of the stories and the artwork is actually quite good, especially considering the time period. I'll certainly be collecting the second volume of this series.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume collects issue one to eight of the original Marvel comic book series from 1970-1971.

Can you imagine of a world with less Conan the Barbarian who only lived in Robert E Howards' short stories and one completed novel, and some other writers writing continuation books.

This collection or volume collects the first 8 comics that saw the light under the Marvel Banner and while they are a mixed bag of early interpretations of stories told and be drawn by decent artists they became one of the comics that brought the interest in fantasy to the light and certainly showed the world this amazing barbarian with the name Conan.
For me personally The Savage Sword of Conan was the starting point in my interest of Conan and then followed the books with short stories from the original writer and they wooed me too.

But still I was pleasant and enjoyable read as well as interesting piece of Conan Lore and history. And can there ever be enough Conan to be read I do not believe so. Currently I enjoy the French output of new interpretations of Conan.

[Greg (adds 2 TBR list daily) Hersom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tad cheesy but the nostalgic sense of the 70's, Marvel, and Conan more than make up for it. Well worth the read for Conan and classic comic fans.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: I tagged this full collection as read even though this review is specifically for Vol. 1 No. 4 of Conan the Barbarian from 1971. I could not find the single issue anywhere in this site and the Librarians like to make it awfully difficult to add new work these days.

Anyhow, this is maybe the best Conan story, if not the best sword and sorcery story of all time. It has everything. There is even an allegory in there about ambition and greed leaving you with nothing but sandals and a loincloth. Roy Thomas does a fine job streamlining the story for the comics page and hitting all of the important beats. Windsor Smith illustrates nicely here, including his typical weird floating psychedelic colorful orbs and beautifully composed action shots. It’s easy to see why he would later be such a good fit for Wolverine.

A dream of mine is to adapt this story for the screen. I’ve got a wonderful idea for it and a few more appropriate plot beats to add to pad the length. Now, if only someone would hire me for it!

This really is getting five stars mainly due to my undying love of the classic Tower of the Elephant story. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you haven’t already.

Read on a classic single issue bought from a comics shop back issue box in the Berkshires.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first volume of Marvel's 1970 Conan the Barbarian comic book with remastered color kicks off with the first 8 issues of the series. Roy Thomas delivers the opening salvo of the Cimmerian youth who years for wine, women, treasure and adventure but not always in that order.
Barry Smith's Kirbyesque artwork opening the first five stories doesn't really pop until the sixth story in the collection "Devil-Wings over Shadizar" though meriting attention is always excellent Howard story "Tower of the Elephant" which greatly benefits from the remastered coloring in this collection. Thomas even gives a tip of the cap to Fritz Leiber's two infamous creations and rogues in "Devil-Wings over Shadizar" with two of his own rogues: Fafnir and Blackrat ( though Conan naturally dispatches of both quite handily ).
Thomas loosely adapts Howard's "The God in the Bowl" with the seventh story in the book as "The Lurker Within" and near the end Conan sees the visage of his future nemesis Thoth-Amon in the bowl at the House of Relics.
A nice beginning to Conan's adventures despite some rough pencil work from Barry Smith.

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward swords and sorcery, mostly swords. This isn't cerebral stuff, but for enjoyable low-brow adventure, it hits the spot. The artwork is a bit rough in the first couple issues, but improves by strides, and sets the groundwork for Barry Windsor-Smith's later mastery.

[José Baena Castel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nota: 3,4/5 o 6,8/10

[Victor Ahumada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esto es mas que nada por nostalgia, son los comics que leí cuando era pequeño.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff. The stories and art are crude at times and would become more finely honed later, but there's no denying the power and energy in these issues. The creators seemed to be truly inspired to the point that they had to calm down a little after working out the initial energy in order to provide the more precise storytelling that would come a little later.

The gem is Tower of the Elephant, which is perhaps the most adapted and well known of the Conan stories. These are just really fun comics, and the newly redone coloring is amazing.

I am biased because I've been a fan of Conan for years, but these are the comics that spawned an entire genre and remain the measuring stick for sword and sorcery material.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Chronicles of Conan, Volume 1: Tower of the Elephant & Other Stories is the first of the collected stories from the late 1960's that was part of the marvel run and in this volume it starts to chart the earliest histories of Conan as he goes out into the word! :D For the most part a lot of the initial stories in this Volume are standalones but they are loosely connected though as the book moves along move become more directly connected! :D

The stories themselves are full of pace with Conan relentlessly getting into trouble in search of plunder and women! :D Though it should be noted that it always done with a streak of honour that always distinguishes him from the supposed 'civilized' people that he encounters! :D Though in the character of Jenna he appears to have met hos match and she actual manages to hoodwink and get away with it for a least an issue but this only increases his opinion of her after she saves him as well! :D

The setting are extremely panoramic and varied with Conan moving from one unique looking place to the next which really gives the book a big feeling of adventure as he encounters the people of the various places! :D Inbetween all of this the extra information about the broader world of the Hyborean Age if filtered in setting Conan and his companions adventures in a much broader consequence as we start to learn of the conflicts that have already happened and continue as well as what many of the civilizations and characters are; Stygia very dodgy; Cimmeria rough but good! :D This all adds a great fun filled palimpsest to to the adventures and really set up in a fantastic way for the breakneck pace of the Conan adventures! :D

The artwork is brilliant in this edition and the recolouring is brilliant and when you compare it to earlier editions you can really see the level of work that has gone into this graphic novel and really helps to emphasise how good the original are was and how ahead of its time and really conveys the characters and there expressions! :D

Brilliant, a breakneck pace, character you love to hate, good characters with some leeway in their ethics that will have you cheering for them, great adventure and brilliant conveyed humour! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid I had a few of the Conan magazines but never any of the marvel comics run. This book was my chance to check them out now as an adult. Being a marvel fan but also a fan of Roy Thomas's work as editor at marvel it seemed like a good way for me to enjoy Conan.

The art: Is good in this book and Barry Windsor Smith looks to be having a lot of fun here. The whole run in this volume is his which is nice. Conan does not have the bangs that I prefer him with but he does have a peculiar helm with two horns coming straight off the front that I find endearing. Also do to the time it was drawn he is not overly inflated when it comes to his physique. I enjoy this as it makes the visuals a bit more life like and helped me get sucked into the story. The coloring for this volume was completely redone and is super clean and pretty well handled. There is a bit too much dithering and I don't think the art needed the 3D quality emphasized as much.

The stories: Are very fun. You don't get much in the way of character development but you do get a sense of adventure and bewilderment. This series perfectly delivered in what it sought out to do which is entertain. There are ancient cities and peoples lost to time only to be rediscovered by our hero and evil wizards who need to be stopped. The solutions are often found via the end of a blade and the structure is a bit prone to formula but these don't manage to work against it for me. It is not a something for everyone style of story telling even thought the great visuals really help deliver you into this world. One thing I really enjoy is how we get some information about long lost cities or societies but not everything it lets the readers mind float around these places and fill in he gaps while raising fun questions.

Overall this is simple but very fun story telling that is perfectly suited to the comic book format.

[Helmut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typischer Auftaktband einer großen Reihe

Ich tue mich schwer, diesem Band nur 3 Sterne zu geben. Aber auch wenn ich die Conan-Reihe auch noch so liebe, mehr ist für diesen Auftaktband einfach nicht drin. Sowohl Autor als auch Zeichner suchen noch ihren Stil, und gerade die Zeichnungen sind weit entfernt von dem, was Barry Smith in den Folgebänden auf Papier zaubert ("I must be mad, drawing all those coins!" sage ich nur zu dem fast obsessiv detaillierten Stil der späteren Bände).

Die Recolorierung ist herausragend gut gelungen, und nur Rosarote-Brillenträger können ernsthaft die alten Comics mit Conans pinkfarbener Haut besser finden.

Sehr gelungen finde ich auch die ausführlichen Nachworte von Roy Thomas in diesen Bänden, die einen Blick hinter die Kulissen erlauben (und Thomas verliert sich nicht in Schwärmereien, sondern redet Tacheles).

Diesen Band als Auftakt holen für einen der gefeiertsten Runs der Comicgeschichte in einer brillianten Neuauflage, und in Band 2, 3 und 4 erkennen, was Smith und Thomas da an bester Fantasy herausgebracht haben.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually interested in comic books from the early 1970's, but this CONAN series stands head and shoulders above the pack. It helps that these tales were generally adapted from Robert E. Howard's original writings and faithfully maintain the Lovecraftian elements that made the world of Conan so distinctive. Roy Thomas successfully captures the style and tone of Howard's prose, invigorating these stories with the same art-house pulpiness that characterized Conan at his best. In comparison with the Schwarzenegger films, they are far more CONAN THE BARBARIAN than CONAN THE DESTROYER, and that's a very good thing indeed.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite satisfying. Too bad that the orignal covers weren't included.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all of Howard's Conan stories, and many Conan comics, but never the first attempt to bring Conan to the comics page. Although the comics Conan, with his distinct horned helmet is an icon, I've been ignorant of it a long time. I was skeptical.

I now see I was so wrong. The work of Roy Thomas and Windsor-Smith is excellent. The stories are the epitome of sword and sorcery adventure. The experienced Conan fan will see threads of Howard's writing intertwined with original ideas that combine in a very natural way.

Windsor-Smith's art is also excellent. The action is fluid and the characters wonderfully drawn, capturing excellent emotion and bestial features. It seems very modern at times, and I think he was a true artistic genius now.

It is easy to see why this series made Conan more than an adventuring character in short stories from the 1930s. These comics made Conan an icon of the medium, with glory undimmed to the present day. Highly recommended for fantasy fans and comic fans in general.

[Matty Dub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this now with the original colors is so much better than the DH recoloring job! The art is astounding, to see BWS become BWS before my eyes after starting out as a Kirby clone is a privilege. Thomas scripts the stories like a master, in most cases I prefer his takes to Busiek’s also excellent work.

[João Batista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como li em português... (Um aviso à editora Mythos: ISBN não está válido por aqui na Goodreads)
São crônicas, então vamos uma a uma.

- O Advento (!) de Conan: apresentação de Conan com um elmo bem esquisito; uma aparição revelada de Valúsia de Kull, o atlante exilado.
- O Covil dos Homens-Feras: um excessivo colorido para as armaduras desses homens-feras; uma releitura de O Planeta dos Macacos?
- O Crepúsculo do Deus Cinzento: uma nova aparição para Conan de seres de Asgard; um rei que não luta junto com seus soldados; e onde há homens, há traição.
- A Torre do Elefante: Bem fiel ao original de Howard, no início; as falas da entidade, porém, são poucas.
- A Filha de Zukala: Mais um ataque a Conan de criaturas sobrenaturais; e mais um mago de eras incontáveis.
- Asas Demoníacas sobre Shadizar: Fafnir e Rato (Mouser), dois ladrões (!): eu já vi isso em algum lugar... Quando Conan tem dinheiro e uma mulher, um deles lhe é tirado; um deus alado e um sacrifício; mas nada é o que parece na pecaminosa Shadizar.
- O Deus na Urna: um encontro com uma mulher civilizada; o conto varia levemente do original; mas o desenho/ a caricatura do deus na urna ... tsc... tsc... tsc...
- Os Guardiões da Tumba: uma fuga e uma breve batalha; uma cidadela sombria; um tesouro incalculável... com seus guradiões seculares; e um aliado improvável.

A parte boa é que sempre há referências aos contos anteriores na revista. Será que a Editora Mythos lançará todos os próximos números? ...

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although CoC is not as good as the more mature audience oriented Savage Sword of Conan, CoC is still a worthy title. I also give it a 5 rating because it does not have the benefit of one writer, one artist as most creator owned/Image Comics titles. So some continuity and quality is lost over the many different writer/artist teams of the title's run. There are some truly epic stories in this title that span many issues. SSC did to some extent, but CoC stories are even longer! I avoided this title at first because I wasn't feeling the slim Conan style Barry Windsor Smith art at the beginning, but it does transition later on into the hulking John Buscema barbarian art I am more acquainted with. Give this title a go if you liked SSC!

[Jim Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager I loved Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" series. I didn't start in till somewhere after issue 180, and it was always a dream back then to be able to go back to the beginning and read every single issue. Now that Dark Horse has collected the series into these books, it's something I can actually do. A couple of family members picked me up a few for Christmas, and I figure I'll get done with them before Father's Day, at which time my kid can by me enough to take me through till my birthday, which isn't that far before Christmas, and, well, you get the point. In no time I'll be able to complete the series.

This first book is issues 1-8, starting back in late 1970. They're good. I enjoyed them very, very much. A lot of it is drawn at this point from the already existing short stories and poems and such, and so there's not a as much continuity as in later issues, each story has to stand on its own. But they're enjoyable. For me, an old Conan nerd, they're super-enjoyable.

Will have to go read something "smart" next just to remind myself that I'm not actually a 14 year old boy anymore, but I am looking forward to getting into volume 2 soon.

[Justin Partridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Unshod hooves throb a devil’s drumbeat on the hard dirt road- - -
The hand upon the rein is untried, yet strong and firm- - -
And who can say if he who sits upon the saddle is now fleeing from nameless terrors that pursue- - -
- - or racing headlong toward a distant tomorrow - -
- - a place and time of peace for a wanderer born - - ?”

If there was ever the ideal “Vibes Only” comic, it would absolutely be 70s Conan the Barbarian.

I haven’t really dipped into this run beyond the original Savage Sword of Conan (which I love a lot) but I found myself instantly charmed and engaged by basically everything happening here.

Roy Thomas right at the peak of his powers. Barry Windsor-Smith just absolutely killing it page after page. Plus since it’s not really straight adapting REH stuff, it’s got the freedom of movement to be its own thing beyond the tone and timbre of a “normal” Conan story.

Just goddamn aces start to finish. It’s going to be a really neat counterpoint to all the Action Comics I plan on reading this month.

[Shannon Schmelzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvel kickstarts it's Conan series in epic style. Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith make for an exciting and engaging duo.

And, personally, I think this is the ultimate way to read these. In here are two things I don't think you can find anywhere else. First, is several pages of memoir by Roy Thomas, talking about some of the stuff behind the scenes as these issues were being created.

And Secondly, and I think, more controversially is the recoloring that Dark Horse did for these issues. Personally, I love it. It really makes the art pop in a way that the original issues don't for me. And it makes these look like issues that could have been made yesterday, instead of the early 1970's. Now I understand if some people don't like the new colors, if you are a "purist" and want these issues to look as close as possible to the original presentation, there are other editions of this. But if you like the recolors, as far as I know, this is the only way to see them.

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sedmdesátkovej marveláckej Conan - komiks, ke kterýmu je nutný přistupovat s dobovým respektem. Kvůli cenzuře tu nemůže být pořádně vyobrazené žádné zabití nebo krev (kreslíř vždycky hezky ucukne a musí pracovat s náznaky) a všechny příběhy se musí vejít do 20 stran, takže jsou občas zbytečně zhuštěné. A vyprávěcí rámečky... všade vyprávěcí rámečky.

S Thomasem mám normálně problém, ale od třetího čísla začíná adaptovat Howardovy povídky, takže mizí zbytečný patos a kvalita letí nahoru. Windsor-Smith je úžasnej, ale ještě se místy hledá - halucinogenní scény v "Tower of the Elephant" rozhodně nedosahují kvalit maestra Kirbyho.

Zatím baví - 3,5*

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing to see how both Roy Thomas And Barry Smith grow into the Legend that Conan became. The Coloring in these reprinting is far too dark, obscuring Smith's rapidly improving line work.
It would also be nice if the covers had been included, given that Thomas references them in the notes at the end.

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I wasn't impressed with this one to be honest. Had it been a longer graphic novel than it was I doubt I'd have finished it. I picked it up purely because it was Conan and I read just about anything I can get my hands on about the barbarian from the north, but generally, unless that's your goal, I think you could pass on this one.

The art work was great. The story was the so-so part.

[Radim Bartik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Není to špatné vydání, jenže Epic Collection nabízí lepší verzi (živější barvy, více bonusů a související příběhy z jiných sérií navíc). The Chronicles má poměrně obsáhlou pasáž, ve které Roy Thomas přibližuje pozadí vzniku celé série. Ale všechny podstatné informace se objevují i v Epic Collection.

[Jason Tudor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection and these first stories told. You can see the comic book mythos of Conan being built up here in these first stories by Roy Thomas and the artwork by Barry Windsor-Smith. I look forward to diving into the other compendiums of Conan!

[Wes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan in comic form. That is pretty much it. Roy Thomas does a good job adapting the character to comic format and it is neat seeing Barry Windsor Smith grow as an artist on the comic. If you love Conan, you'll love the comic.

[John Rimmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very underwhelmed by Barry Smith's art. Roy Thomas' post-script in the back seemed to imply BWS wasn't super motivated about drawing this. But for his part, I didn't seem to think he Roy was very motivated to write it. My first Conan comics, and not super impressed.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art!

[Robert Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First couple stories aren't great, but around the 4th issue it really takes off. Need to read the Robert Howard originals to compare.