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The Savage Sword of Conan
The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1
In the mid 1970s following the colossal success of Conan the Barbarian, Roy Thomas helped expand the universe of Conan to showcase further stories and the talents of some of the comics industry's best with the equally popular Savage Sword of Conan magazine. Now, for the first time in over thirty years, these primal tales, featuring Robert E. Howard's most popular character, are available in this, the first in a series of massive trade paperbacks, collecting all Savage Sword Conan stories beginning with issue one.
Included in this volume are tales by Roy Thomas, featuring the breathtaking art of such legends as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Pablo Marcos, Walter Simonson, and more.
But that's not all. Also included in this tome are Conan's few appearances in the title Savage Tales--for the complete Conan collection!
* Reprinting Savage Sword of Conan for the first time since its original publication. This is the first volume in the series.
Included in this volume are tales by Roy Thomas, featuring the breathtaking art of such legends as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Pablo Marcos, Walter Simonson, and more.
But that's not all. Also included in this tome are Conan's few appearances in the title Savage Tales--for the complete Conan collection!
* Reprinting Savage Sword of Conan for the first time since its original publication. This is the first volume in the series.
542 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2007
61 people are currently reading
902 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,407 books266 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
November 2, 2024
Savage Sword was the first comic book I read. I picked it up because I was a big fan of the Conan movie when I was a kid (I had weird parents that were totally fine with me watching it before I was even double digits). I picked it up as a sort of joke, expecting it to be god-awful. I was unaware at the time that this was anything more than a movie spin-off when in actuality one could see the movie as a spin-off of the comics. I was floored. Not only was the art fantastic and the story fantastic but I was able to get an entire story from start to finish in one issue. The other comics I picked up that day were all single pieces of larger storylines. If memory serves one of the other comics was a random issue of Fantastic Four, and the story was incomprehensible due to it being a single issue in the storyline. So the next day I went back and bought more Savage Sword issues.
It wasn't until a few months later that I realized I could buy this big package which contained the early issues that I hadn't read any of due to the inflated, 'collectors' prices that the early issues demand.
I'll say right now that I have not purchased the subsequent collections because the quality of these reprints leave much to be desired. First, the page is smaller. Another issue is that the covers have been converted to a murky black-and-white. Kudos must be given for including them at least: the sister publication Conan the Barbarian didn't include covers in its collection Chronicles of Conan. There are also some inking issues - when I compare this to the original magazines, this collection has a few white spots where the original had black. I'm not sure if this was a mistake in the scan or just a clever way to save on ink cost. The reproduction itself also leaves much to be desired. This book looks like Darkhorse just digitally scanned the magazines themselves instead of reproducing the book from the original artwork. I guess I'm asking wayyyyyy too much when I suggest that Darkhorse should have collected and scanned the original artwork, but the issue still remains: this collection looks, at best, equivalent to the magazine scans that have been available on the internet for years.
All that being said, I can't deny how awesome it is to be able to pick up 500 pages of Conan comics in my hands. The artwork is fantastic in most of the stories. Notably John Buscema and Barry Windsor-Smith; two of my favourite comic artists. I completely recommend purchasing this book if you have an interest in sword-and-sorcery stories. On the other hand, I do invite you to visit your local second-hand comic book store to seek out an actual Savage Sword magazine (try to get one of the first 60, after that the issues get more inconsistent).
It'd be cool if Darkhorse did like a 'best-of' collection that reprints some of these comics in the original size with remastered artwork. Barring that, I think I'll just continue collecting the original magazines and contribute to that annoying collector's inflation.
It wasn't until a few months later that I realized I could buy this big package which contained the early issues that I hadn't read any of due to the inflated, 'collectors' prices that the early issues demand.
I'll say right now that I have not purchased the subsequent collections because the quality of these reprints leave much to be desired. First, the page is smaller. Another issue is that the covers have been converted to a murky black-and-white. Kudos must be given for including them at least: the sister publication Conan the Barbarian didn't include covers in its collection Chronicles of Conan. There are also some inking issues - when I compare this to the original magazines, this collection has a few white spots where the original had black. I'm not sure if this was a mistake in the scan or just a clever way to save on ink cost. The reproduction itself also leaves much to be desired. This book looks like Darkhorse just digitally scanned the magazines themselves instead of reproducing the book from the original artwork. I guess I'm asking wayyyyyy too much when I suggest that Darkhorse should have collected and scanned the original artwork, but the issue still remains: this collection looks, at best, equivalent to the magazine scans that have been available on the internet for years.
All that being said, I can't deny how awesome it is to be able to pick up 500 pages of Conan comics in my hands. The artwork is fantastic in most of the stories. Notably John Buscema and Barry Windsor-Smith; two of my favourite comic artists. I completely recommend purchasing this book if you have an interest in sword-and-sorcery stories. On the other hand, I do invite you to visit your local second-hand comic book store to seek out an actual Savage Sword magazine (try to get one of the first 60, after that the issues get more inconsistent).
It'd be cool if Darkhorse did like a 'best-of' collection that reprints some of these comics in the original size with remastered artwork. Barring that, I think I'll just continue collecting the original magazines and contribute to that annoying collector's inflation.
December 20, 2020
I was too young to read these when they first came out, but I do remember reading this comic magazine series in the 80s. This series was in black and white, and also magazine sized rather than comic sized. This was to denote it's more mature subject matter, and while it's not exactly "Adults Only" it is definitely aimed at an adult audience. It wasn't just the suggestive nudity and the sometimes graphic violence, but the stories themselves were just more mature than it's four color counterparts. These were adult tales of adventure, with sometimes thick prose. These weren't "dumbed down" at all, and read more akin to a pulp magazine of the 1930s rather than a comic book. Which makes sense, given that's where Conan got his start and many of the stories adapted were taken right from Robert E. Howard's original stories.
The art was about as perfect as possible for the stories, really capturing the gritty essence of these barbaric tales.
Overall any fan of sword and sorcery comics should read this volume as it represents some of the best work of the genre.
The art was about as perfect as possible for the stories, really capturing the gritty essence of these barbaric tales.
Overall any fan of sword and sorcery comics should read this volume as it represents some of the best work of the genre.
June 29, 2024
The saga of Conan of Cimmeria has existed for over a century now. This “comic book” was the start of an oversized format that had Roy Thomas heading the effort.
The story is fine as are the illustrations by Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema. What makes this a very special edition for Conan and Robert E. Howard fans is the commitment to historical analysis.
This issue features a deep dive by Fred Blosser into "Conan's Women Warriors."
The series was a hit and with Roy Thomas' guidance and sense of what was needed in this format. The extra cost was money well-spent.
The story is fine as are the illustrations by Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema. What makes this a very special edition for Conan and Robert E. Howard fans is the commitment to historical analysis.
This issue features a deep dive by Fred Blosser into "Conan's Women Warriors."
The series was a hit and with Roy Thomas' guidance and sense of what was needed in this format. The extra cost was money well-spent.
September 7, 2012
I'm done with issues 1 to 10 of this vintage sword and sorcery magazine. I like the clean look of the black and white graphic art of Buscema and Alcala, the wealth of detail in each panel, the covers by Vallejo. If I'm honest, I also like the hot, scantily dressed babes the series is so fixated on. Even the commercials have their old fashioned charm, promoting bodybuilding or karate skills in 10 easy lesons. Roy Thomas as the writer is OK, a bit too bombastic and free with doom ladden adjectives, but it fits the subject matter.
As an added bonus, there are several informative essays about the genre by Lynn Carter and others.
I plan to continue with the issues, although some of the guest artists are not in the same league as Buscema.
July 19, 2013
Dark Horse has been reprinting Marvel Comics’ color Conan comics for a few years but now they are adding the Conan stories from the black & white Savage Sword of Conan Magazine. This volume one Omnibus edition features 544 pages and includes the Conan stories from Savage Tales # 1 – 5, and Savage Sword of Conan # 1 – 10. Back in the day as a young Conan fan, Savage Tales was like the Holy Grail. These first five issues pre-dated Savage Sword and within a few years had already escalated in price beyond my pocket change. With this volume we are seeing these stories again for the first time in over 30 years. What immediately strikes you about the book is the incredible roster of artists. These are truly legendary names: Barry Windsor Smith, Neal Adams, Jim Starlin, Mike Kaluta, Frank Brunner, John Buscema, Boris Vallejo, Esteban Maroto, Alex Nino, and Tim Conrad. From a purely artistic standpoint, Savage Sword and Savage Tales were dwarfing just about anything else going on in comics at that time.
The volume leads off with one of Robert E. 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 story features some of the best art to grace the magazine by Barry Smith. I have a theory about present day comic book art… Comic art APPEARS to be much better than it was say 20 or 30 years ago but this is due to advances in technology as far as printing, colorization, and digital enhancing. Today we see so many artists working in a minimalist, cartoony style because it can be digitally produced much quicker than hand drawn artwork. But you can’t really hide behind technology when working in strict black and white.
Jump ahead to the second story, and adaptation of Howard's Red Nails and just marvel at Smith’s detailed line work. Look at Conan in the wilderness as Smith painstakingly draws seemingly every blade of grass and every leaf on the trees and bushes. Look at the close-ups of Conan with so many individual follicles of hair illustrated and then compare it to a lot of art today where you might get a curl or two drawn in. Smith puts most modern day artists to shame with his unique, renaissance influenced style.
The second issue of Savage Sword presents another Howard adaptation, Black Colossus in which Conan faces off against a three thousand year old sorcerer. This story teams long time Conan penciller John Buscema with his frequent partner Alfredo Alcala. Buscema always drew a great Conan but Alcala pushed his work a notch higher with a gritty detail that would only work in a black and white format.
Issue #5 of Savage Swords sports one of Boris’ best covers depicting Conan being crucified, from the tale, A Witch Shall Be Born. This story features Conan at his most resilient, surviving his crucifixion in the desert to get revenge on the man who put him there.
The final story from Savage Sword #10 concludes the adaptation of Howard’s only full-length Conan Novel, The Hour of the Dragon. In a way it’s a strange inclusion because you only get the last third of the story or so. The first parts were printed in Giant-Size Conan the Barbarian and while this is a great Story it might have been best just to skip it rather than having it pickup in the middle.
The art does lose some of it’s potency since it is reduced down to regular comic size from it’s original format but that’s about the only negative I can come up with from this superb book. This was one of the best comics that Marvel ever produced and we have to thank Dark Horse for making these stories available again to Conan fans. Grade A (Tim Janson)
The volume leads off with one of Robert E. 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 story features some of the best art to grace the magazine by Barry Smith. I have a theory about present day comic book art… Comic art APPEARS to be much better than it was say 20 or 30 years ago but this is due to advances in technology as far as printing, colorization, and digital enhancing. Today we see so many artists working in a minimalist, cartoony style because it can be digitally produced much quicker than hand drawn artwork. But you can’t really hide behind technology when working in strict black and white.
Jump ahead to the second story, and adaptation of Howard's Red Nails and just marvel at Smith’s detailed line work. Look at Conan in the wilderness as Smith painstakingly draws seemingly every blade of grass and every leaf on the trees and bushes. Look at the close-ups of Conan with so many individual follicles of hair illustrated and then compare it to a lot of art today where you might get a curl or two drawn in. Smith puts most modern day artists to shame with his unique, renaissance influenced style.
The second issue of Savage Sword presents another Howard adaptation, Black Colossus in which Conan faces off against a three thousand year old sorcerer. This story teams long time Conan penciller John Buscema with his frequent partner Alfredo Alcala. Buscema always drew a great Conan but Alcala pushed his work a notch higher with a gritty detail that would only work in a black and white format.
Issue #5 of Savage Swords sports one of Boris’ best covers depicting Conan being crucified, from the tale, A Witch Shall Be Born. This story features Conan at his most resilient, surviving his crucifixion in the desert to get revenge on the man who put him there.
The final story from Savage Sword #10 concludes the adaptation of Howard’s only full-length Conan Novel, The Hour of the Dragon. In a way it’s a strange inclusion because you only get the last third of the story or so. The first parts were printed in Giant-Size Conan the Barbarian and while this is a great Story it might have been best just to skip it rather than having it pickup in the middle.
The art does lose some of it’s potency since it is reduced down to regular comic size from it’s original format but that’s about the only negative I can come up with from this superb book. This was one of the best comics that Marvel ever produced and we have to thank Dark Horse for making these stories available again to Conan fans. Grade A (Tim Janson)
October 20, 2017
I'm going thru a bit of an exploratory phase with all these 70s era fantasy/horror comics. Savage Sword of Conan falls right in there. The quality is surprisingly good, both the writing and the artwork. Of course given the range of material in this book some stories are stronger than others, but in comparison to the last volume of comics I read (Eerie Volume 10) the lows aren't that low. I especially enjoyed John Buscema and Pablo Marcos' work, some killer pen and ink work right there! and there are some awesome fight scenes in this thing (these guys were so good with their figure drawing and framing!). Barry Windsor Smith's art is also excellent, but a bit over-ornamented for my particular tastes (he has a very tight style but often for me when a work gets too detailed it can lose some organic feel and suffocates the life out of the imagery. But that's my tastes, which often gravitate towards a mix between tight/organic!).
I assumed the story and characters would be a bit hokey or corny, I've never read Conan or had much knowledge on it other than the most superficial pop culture stuff. But actually overall the material and characters are managed deftly, there is some very well-told, paced, clever, imaginative, nicely executed story-telling. I especially loved the stories that involved weird mystical wizards and grand cavernous palaces that were teeming with unknown terrors. The suspense in those stories was pretty awesome.
Of course there are things that make this work very much of its time and place. The repeated use of rape as narrative device was off-putting, it was overdone and often poorly managed and kind of goes hand in hand with the general representation of women in this time and type of comic (women are basically just reduced to objects for fulfilling male desires). But you'd have to be living under a rock to not expect these things given how these comics were marketed and the target demographic these comics were geared for. If you can manage your way past those things there is a lot to enjoy and appreciate in these works.
I assumed the story and characters would be a bit hokey or corny, I've never read Conan or had much knowledge on it other than the most superficial pop culture stuff. But actually overall the material and characters are managed deftly, there is some very well-told, paced, clever, imaginative, nicely executed story-telling. I especially loved the stories that involved weird mystical wizards and grand cavernous palaces that were teeming with unknown terrors. The suspense in those stories was pretty awesome.
Of course there are things that make this work very much of its time and place. The repeated use of rape as narrative device was off-putting, it was overdone and often poorly managed and kind of goes hand in hand with the general representation of women in this time and type of comic (women are basically just reduced to objects for fulfilling male desires). But you'd have to be living under a rock to not expect these things given how these comics were marketed and the target demographic these comics were geared for. If you can manage your way past those things there is a lot to enjoy and appreciate in these works.
March 14, 2012
Several of these stories are also reprinted in the all-colour Conan chronicles tpbs, but other than that this is a great volume full of epic sword and sorcery tales. Roy Thomas raided Howard's works, Conan and non-Conan and other fantasy writers' tales, but his original tales are pretty good too. Escapist fun at its best.
August 26, 2018
There are some really fine examples of illustration in this volume, but in the end I find that Conan is not for me. I don't really like Conan as a character because he just doesn't seem to care most of the time. Also, the supporting characters are all disposable props, so there aren't really any meaningful relationships in these stories. In addition, there are large helpings of misogyny and racism. As it was an unsatisfying read for me, I'm not planning to continue the series.
June 15, 2016
The Savage Sword of Conan is an anthology of Conan stories. Some are adaptations of Robert Howard stories, and those I find to never be as good as the original work, while others are obviously based on Howards seminal work. SSOC was written in the 1970's. Roy Thomas attempts to channel his inner Robert Howard and for the most part gets it right. The artwork varies as well. The Buscema art is actually very good-especially when you factor in the time. Sometimes Roy Thomas' verbiage goes off in an attempt to bring us into the Howardean ambiance but that's when it seems to fail. I prefer the original stories to the comic adaptations-though some of the other stories are very well done. This is the book for the real Conan fan. I enjoyed it and it is a welcome addition to the library. If you are not a Conan fan then I would suggest trying some of the more recent Conan comics. These are written with a heavy emphasis on the Howard mythos for the plotlines-most are heavy to outright adaptations from the original short stories. But it sort of works as SSOC is also an anthology series- each issue, sometimes a couple in a row, dealt with a story and moved on. Still being familiar with the original work and appreciating the time when these comics came out I enjoyed and appreciated this collection- highly recommend for the Conan fan.
June 21, 2016
Pure pulp escapist fantasy. This comic raids the Howard stories for ideas and Thomas expands out the Conan universe. A moments it does feel dated but as long as you accept what these stories actually are, it is enjoyable.
September 14, 2011
So there I was, in the bowels of an honest-to-God Comic book shop on a Thursday afternoon in the early fall of 1986. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an entire store devoted to comic books, having grown up in a sleepy rural town of 1500 souls where the only place to buy such things was from the four foot rack at the back of the Rexall Drug on Main Street. But this place had everything the glamorous mid-1980’s could offer: GI-Joe, X-Men, Grendal, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk – you name it, they had it. Try to imagine what that must have been like to a wide-eyed, impressionable youth of thirteen. I was in heaven and couldn’t decide fast enough which titles were worthy of my meager allowance. I couldn’t afford them all, so I was going to have to be selective. And that was when I saw it for the very first time: The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian…
This wasn’t merely an ordinary comic book like all the others. No. This was more. This was a magazine! It was bigger – larger than life, even – with an awesomely painted cover of the brawny Cimmerian immortalized to me a few years before by Arnold Schwarzenegger, standing amid a pile of severed heads and hairy, grinning skulls, swinging an oversized, bloody battle axe at an angry assortment of evil intentioned enemies. A scantily clad, large breasted blond clung desperately to his meaty thigh looking terrified amid that brutal scene of barbaric slaughter. As I revisit that moment in my mind’s eye, it’s almost as if a divine light appeared behind the rack upon which that magazine sat and an ethereal choir of heavenly hosts stepped forth and softly intoned, “Ahhhh, Ohhhh, Ahhhh, Ahhhh, Ohhhhhhhhhh…” I dropped to my knees. My previous, now juvenile seeming, selections slipped from my nerveless fingers, forgotten in the glory that was Joe Jusko’s savage cover art.
I’m not sure how long a knelt there . . . maybe minutes . . . maybe hours. But then the spell slowly lifted and I carefully approached the rack, my eyes never leaving that cover lest it somehow disappear in that fraction of a second in which my traitorous eyes might slide elsewhere. I reached out a tenuous, shaky hand and lifted that revered magazine respectfully from its perch. With a building anticipation mingled with awe, I opened The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian to discover that brutal black and white, adult themed world I now know of as Hyborea. Ernie Chan was the artist in that issue. Is it any wonder that he was always my favorite? Forget Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema, sure they’re great and all; but to me, at age thirteen, I’ll always have a soft spot for my first, and Ernie Chan was the Conan penciling man for me from that day on!
After several minutes of careful perusal, I knew this magazine had to go home with me. I anticipated the several uninterrupted hours of bliss brought on by immersive reading and meticulous artwork exploration ahead of me. Retrieving only the copy of GI-Joe to accompany my new found prize to the cash register, I left my other, now forgotten selections where they had fallen like so many victim’s of the frenzied barbarian’s, blood-slicked sword.
Once home, I devoured it at least three times before finally drifting off to that nocturnal dreamland of indiscriminate barbarian slaughter, rampaging demonic monsters, evil sorcerers and nubile naked women. Being a lover of art and all things drawing related, I would spend hours studying those magazines in the future. Practicing my own pencil skills and even creating my own Conan comic books on stapled together sheets of typing paper. Ah, the innocent joys of youth!
Anyway, I discovered The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 1 on Amazon for a little over $12 (are you kidding me??? I’d have paid double that!) and knew I had to have it. Sure, it’s a paperback bound collection of stories from 1973 (the year I was born) and the mid 70’s, but that made it even better. New stories I hadn’t yet discovered! This first volume collects the Conan stories appearing in five issues of Savage Tales in 1973 and ‘74 and then ends with the stories appearing in the first 10 issues of The Savage Sword of Conan magazine. They were even more fun than I expected them to be. Sure, the writing is heavy-handed and, at times, ridiculous. But that’s what lends it its charm!
Most of the stories in Volume 1 are adaptations of original Robert E. Howard tales from the 20’s and 30’s, so the stories tend to be slightly on the sexist/racist side by modern standards. Think: swooning, fainting lasses with swollen bosoms and child bearing hips falling victim to Neanderthal-esque, black skinned savages bent on defiling the ivory-white purity of their dainty, feminine virginity – et al. But, if you can rally past that, these are intensely fun stories illustrated by fantastic artistic talents from the silver age of the medium. Admittedly, they fall a bit on the over-masculine side of the machismo meter, but, in a way, that’s fun as well. So many products of today’s bloated fiction writing market fall under the metro-sexual, touchy-feely, environmentally-crusading, über-sensitive, masculinity-stifling mumbo-jumbo nonsense of modern American sensitivities that a little raw, masculine murder and mayhem from the gloomy era of Ford and Carter are just what the doctor ordered. Hoo-Ah!
Roy Thomas’ writing tends toward the overly descriptive side of comic book scribing. That might not be all bad, except that he tends to reuse those same descriptions much too often to the point of near absurdity. As stated earlier, he can be a little heavy-handed with his word smithing and I found myself unconsciously rolling my eyes from time to time as one deus ex machina plot after another had Conan constantly winning himself free of impossible odds just in the nick of time. But as much as I love to rip on them, these graphic art tales from the heyday of my youth still strike a nerve with me and I love them from a purely nostalgic point of view above all else. Four stars from me, by Crom, simply because I had so much fun swinging my sword vicariously through that square cut maned barbarian one more time.
This wasn’t merely an ordinary comic book like all the others. No. This was more. This was a magazine! It was bigger – larger than life, even – with an awesomely painted cover of the brawny Cimmerian immortalized to me a few years before by Arnold Schwarzenegger, standing amid a pile of severed heads and hairy, grinning skulls, swinging an oversized, bloody battle axe at an angry assortment of evil intentioned enemies. A scantily clad, large breasted blond clung desperately to his meaty thigh looking terrified amid that brutal scene of barbaric slaughter. As I revisit that moment in my mind’s eye, it’s almost as if a divine light appeared behind the rack upon which that magazine sat and an ethereal choir of heavenly hosts stepped forth and softly intoned, “Ahhhh, Ohhhh, Ahhhh, Ahhhh, Ohhhhhhhhhh…” I dropped to my knees. My previous, now juvenile seeming, selections slipped from my nerveless fingers, forgotten in the glory that was Joe Jusko’s savage cover art.
I’m not sure how long a knelt there . . . maybe minutes . . . maybe hours. But then the spell slowly lifted and I carefully approached the rack, my eyes never leaving that cover lest it somehow disappear in that fraction of a second in which my traitorous eyes might slide elsewhere. I reached out a tenuous, shaky hand and lifted that revered magazine respectfully from its perch. With a building anticipation mingled with awe, I opened The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian to discover that brutal black and white, adult themed world I now know of as Hyborea. Ernie Chan was the artist in that issue. Is it any wonder that he was always my favorite? Forget Barry Windsor-Smith and John Buscema, sure they’re great and all; but to me, at age thirteen, I’ll always have a soft spot for my first, and Ernie Chan was the Conan penciling man for me from that day on!
After several minutes of careful perusal, I knew this magazine had to go home with me. I anticipated the several uninterrupted hours of bliss brought on by immersive reading and meticulous artwork exploration ahead of me. Retrieving only the copy of GI-Joe to accompany my new found prize to the cash register, I left my other, now forgotten selections where they had fallen like so many victim’s of the frenzied barbarian’s, blood-slicked sword.
Once home, I devoured it at least three times before finally drifting off to that nocturnal dreamland of indiscriminate barbarian slaughter, rampaging demonic monsters, evil sorcerers and nubile naked women. Being a lover of art and all things drawing related, I would spend hours studying those magazines in the future. Practicing my own pencil skills and even creating my own Conan comic books on stapled together sheets of typing paper. Ah, the innocent joys of youth!
Anyway, I discovered The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 1 on Amazon for a little over $12 (are you kidding me??? I’d have paid double that!) and knew I had to have it. Sure, it’s a paperback bound collection of stories from 1973 (the year I was born) and the mid 70’s, but that made it even better. New stories I hadn’t yet discovered! This first volume collects the Conan stories appearing in five issues of Savage Tales in 1973 and ‘74 and then ends with the stories appearing in the first 10 issues of The Savage Sword of Conan magazine. They were even more fun than I expected them to be. Sure, the writing is heavy-handed and, at times, ridiculous. But that’s what lends it its charm!
Most of the stories in Volume 1 are adaptations of original Robert E. Howard tales from the 20’s and 30’s, so the stories tend to be slightly on the sexist/racist side by modern standards. Think: swooning, fainting lasses with swollen bosoms and child bearing hips falling victim to Neanderthal-esque, black skinned savages bent on defiling the ivory-white purity of their dainty, feminine virginity – et al. But, if you can rally past that, these are intensely fun stories illustrated by fantastic artistic talents from the silver age of the medium. Admittedly, they fall a bit on the over-masculine side of the machismo meter, but, in a way, that’s fun as well. So many products of today’s bloated fiction writing market fall under the metro-sexual, touchy-feely, environmentally-crusading, über-sensitive, masculinity-stifling mumbo-jumbo nonsense of modern American sensitivities that a little raw, masculine murder and mayhem from the gloomy era of Ford and Carter are just what the doctor ordered. Hoo-Ah!
Roy Thomas’ writing tends toward the overly descriptive side of comic book scribing. That might not be all bad, except that he tends to reuse those same descriptions much too often to the point of near absurdity. As stated earlier, he can be a little heavy-handed with his word smithing and I found myself unconsciously rolling my eyes from time to time as one deus ex machina plot after another had Conan constantly winning himself free of impossible odds just in the nick of time. But as much as I love to rip on them, these graphic art tales from the heyday of my youth still strike a nerve with me and I love them from a purely nostalgic point of view above all else. Four stars from me, by Crom, simply because I had so much fun swinging my sword vicariously through that square cut maned barbarian one more time.
October 13, 2015
It's taken me forever to read this, mostly because of the format.
I read comics on my Kindle once in a while and it usually goes well. However it just doesn't work for Conan because the comics does not follow the traditional organization of comics pages and you need to see the full page in one go to read this well. So since I have access to a huge computer monitor I finished reading it there and it changed the whole experience.
Otherwise the stories are average and the art is good.
For the price this is really a good deal.
I read comics on my Kindle once in a while and it usually goes well. However it just doesn't work for Conan because the comics does not follow the traditional organization of comics pages and you need to see the full page in one go to read this well. So since I have access to a huge computer monitor I finished reading it there and it changed the whole experience.
Otherwise the stories are average and the art is good.
For the price this is really a good deal.
August 15, 2019
TL;DR : Even as a male power fantasy this is a bit sh*t.
Between the times when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the Sons of Arius, there was an age of poorly written, overly stylized (read: wordy for no good reason), and formulaic stories reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft's worst acid trip fiction. And unto this Conan, destined to be poorly drawn, wore the crown of Aquilonia on his troubled brown and looked exactly like every other generic well-muscled background character. It is I, his critiquer, who wonders what the knock-on effect of such toxic masculinity and the treatment of women as objects to be passed around like drinking cups will have for decades past and decades to come. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure, when women existed only in the simplex (read: in the singular), never to interact with one another or to have their own thoughts, feelings, or opinions.
Dun dun dun DUN dun dun....
Between the times when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the Sons of Arius, there was an age of poorly written, overly stylized (read: wordy for no good reason), and formulaic stories reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft's worst acid trip fiction. And unto this Conan, destined to be poorly drawn, wore the crown of Aquilonia on his troubled brown and looked exactly like every other generic well-muscled background character. It is I, his critiquer, who wonders what the knock-on effect of such toxic masculinity and the treatment of women as objects to be passed around like drinking cups will have for decades past and decades to come. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure, when women existed only in the simplex (read: in the singular), never to interact with one another or to have their own thoughts, feelings, or opinions.
Dun dun dun DUN dun dun....
August 26, 2023
A massive 500+ page collection of some of the early Conan comics. Many of these stories are from original Robert Howard tales, Red Nails for example, and will be familiar to fans. The artwork is first rate featuring such greats as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema and Jim Starlin.
My only complaint about this collection is that in the digital version I read, some of the scans were not that good. There were a few places where art was very light and the whole could have benefited from a higher resolution scan. The other thing is that although these are all in black and white, the covers between stories were obviously originally in color. But here they are in B&W. The only color pages are the front and back covers. Considering these feature illustrations from the likes of Boris Vallejo, printing them in B&W grey scale is a huge disappointment.
These issues drop my rating from 5 to 4 stars.
My only complaint about this collection is that in the digital version I read, some of the scans were not that good. There were a few places where art was very light and the whole could have benefited from a higher resolution scan. The other thing is that although these are all in black and white, the covers between stories were obviously originally in color. But here they are in B&W. The only color pages are the front and back covers. Considering these feature illustrations from the likes of Boris Vallejo, printing them in B&W grey scale is a huge disappointment.
These issues drop my rating from 5 to 4 stars.
June 11, 2025
Page after page of tremendous artwork and great stories. Barbaric but fun.
November 15, 2024
As you can tell from the dates read, I put this collection down for a few years then picked it back up. No harm done, Conan is still just as Conany in 2024 as he was in 2020. The art varies wildly, but is often great. The writing is just what you want, Roy Thomas channeling Robert E. Howard both directly and indirectly for tales of Conan pillaging, waging war, bedding wenches, and punching wizards in their stupid magic faces. It all looks great in black and white (though, interesting side note, the previous owner of my particular copy colored in many of the pages, and a lot of his or her work is honestly pretty decent). These thick Dark Horse collections give you a lot of bang for your buck, and I’ll keep picking ‘em up when I spot them.
May 15, 2012
The fantastic artwork of John Buscema, Barry Windsor-Smith and others, and the tight writing by the prolific Roy Thomas make this my favorite adaption of the famed Robert E. Howard barbarian.
This book is the first volume of a series that reprints the original Savage Sword of Conan Magazine that was published under Marvel from 1974-1995. It is a knockout. Action adventure escapism does not get any better than this. The Boris cover art alone is worth the price of purchase.
Between the Robert E. Howard original stories, the Marvel magazine and comics, the "pastiche" novels by Lin Carter, Robert Jordan, etc., there is such a wealth of outstanding Conan source material to work from. It is beyond comprehension how the writers of the recent, poorly conceived, questionably cast, shoddily directed movie disaster could not manage to come up with a decent screenplay. It is kind of like not being able to write a good Batman screenplay. There is no excuse.
Indulging in these reprints is a perfect way to remember what it is about Conan that makes him such a fierce and enduring character.
My only beef, and thus the loss of one star, is the shrunken size. These stories were meant to be experienced in a glorious large magazine format. The smaller size (10 by 6.5) does compromise the scope of the story, the artwork, and especially the lettering.
If you like this book, Robert E Howard, Conan, or even are just a fan of great artwork, I highly recommend tracking down the original issues at a comic book shop or convention.
This book is the first volume of a series that reprints the original Savage Sword of Conan Magazine that was published under Marvel from 1974-1995. It is a knockout. Action adventure escapism does not get any better than this. The Boris cover art alone is worth the price of purchase.
Between the Robert E. Howard original stories, the Marvel magazine and comics, the "pastiche" novels by Lin Carter, Robert Jordan, etc., there is such a wealth of outstanding Conan source material to work from. It is beyond comprehension how the writers of the recent, poorly conceived, questionably cast, shoddily directed movie disaster could not manage to come up with a decent screenplay. It is kind of like not being able to write a good Batman screenplay. There is no excuse.
Indulging in these reprints is a perfect way to remember what it is about Conan that makes him such a fierce and enduring character.
My only beef, and thus the loss of one star, is the shrunken size. These stories were meant to be experienced in a glorious large magazine format. The smaller size (10 by 6.5) does compromise the scope of the story, the artwork, and especially the lettering.
If you like this book, Robert E Howard, Conan, or even are just a fan of great artwork, I highly recommend tracking down the original issues at a comic book shop or convention.
August 24, 2008
A marvellous collection of stories from Marvel's Savage Sword of Conan magazine, plus a few that appeared earlier in Savage Tales. Roy Thomas and Conan were a match made in Cimmeria and this volume shows them at their mutual best.
Quite a bit of the book forms a connected narrative set fairly early in Conan's career. Towards the end there's a jarring excursion into the future with an adaptation of "The Hour of the Dragon", by which point Conan has already both become a king and been deposed.
I wish I'd had this at eleven or twelve, when it would have been the most valuable treasure in my possession!
The artwork, by many hands (several stories are part-credited to "the Tribe"), is of a consistently high quality, but of course the work of John Buscema and Barry Windsor-Smith stands out. There are no sexier women in comics than those in this book (and, I'd wager, no sexier men either, though that isn't my area of expertise).
Quite a bit of the book forms a connected narrative set fairly early in Conan's career. Towards the end there's a jarring excursion into the future with an adaptation of "The Hour of the Dragon", by which point Conan has already both become a king and been deposed.
I wish I'd had this at eleven or twelve, when it would have been the most valuable treasure in my possession!
The artwork, by many hands (several stories are part-credited to "the Tribe"), is of a consistently high quality, but of course the work of John Buscema and Barry Windsor-Smith stands out. There are no sexier women in comics than those in this book (and, I'd wager, no sexier men either, though that isn't my area of expertise).
March 7, 2025
In the mid 1970s following the colossal success of Conan the Barbarian, Roy Thomas helped expand the universe of Conan to showcase further stories and the talents of some of the comics industry's best with the equally popular Savage Sword of Conan magazine. Now, for the first time in over thirty years, these primal tales, featuring Robert E. Howard's most popular character, are available in this, the first in a series of massive trade paperbacks, collecting all Savage Sword Conan stories beginning with issue one.
Included in this volume are tales by Roy Thomas, featuring the breathtaking art of such legends as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Pablo Marcos, Walter Simonson and more.
But that's not all. Also included in this tome are Conan's few appearances in the title Savage Tales - for the complete Conan collection!
Included in this volume are tales by Roy Thomas, featuring the breathtaking art of such legends as Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Pablo Marcos, Walter Simonson and more.
But that's not all. Also included in this tome are Conan's few appearances in the title Savage Tales - for the complete Conan collection!
July 4, 2016
Genesis!
July 30, 2022
Şimdi prensim, şurada 50 yıldır yüz yüze bakıyoruz. Daha beni söyletmeyin yok Atlantistir, yok sandallı ayağının altında ezecektir falan. Biliyorsunuz mevzuyu. Ama yine de şunu bilin ki prensim, efsanelerde Anlatıldığına göre bütün Akilonyanın altının silme spor salonudur ve protein tozu karneyle dağıtılmaktadır. Balıkçıların bile kavun gibi kol kasına sahip olduğu, karnından baklava fışkırmayanın dövüldüğü, tüm kültürlerin donla gezdiği bir çağda geçen maceralarda şöyle olur, böyle olur.
Dark Horse'un 70'lerden başlayarak, Conan hikayelerini toplandığı Savage Sword of Conan serisinin ilk cildi pek hızlı başlıyor. Kitap Marmara Çizgi tarafından ikiye bölünerek yayınlanmış. Haliyle bu yorumu yazdığım volume 1'in bizdeki karşılığı Barbar Conan'ın Vahşi Kılıcı cilt 1 ve cilt 2 oluyor.
Sağ baştan say!:
Bız Devinin Kızı - Barry Smith (1973): İlk hikaye, pek sevmediğim bir Conan çizerin olan Barry Windsor Smith elinden çıkmış. Smith 71'de best new talent ödülü almış, heyecanlı bir genç o yıllarda. 21 yaşındayken Marvel'in John Buscema'yı pahalı bulmasıyla şans tanınmış bir çizer. Sevenleri daha çok korsan zamanı ile hatırlar kendisini (bkz: Amra). Hikaye ise orijinal R.E.Howard hikayelerinden uyarlama. Haliyle kitaplardaki Conan'a oldukça yakın ama hayli kısa bir başlangıç.
Kızıl Çiviler - Barry Smith (1973): Üç bölümlük Kızıl Çiviler ilk hikayeden açık ara daha kaliteli. Smith'in özellikle yüz çizimleri beni yine rahatsız ediyor ama kendini okutan bir macera olduğu için bir süre sonra alışıyor insan.
Karanlık Tanrının Gecesi - Gil Kane (1974): Gil Kane Conanının hödük bir güzelliği var. Hikayeye yakıştırıyorum ben. Genç Conan'ın köyünü yağmalayanların peşine düştüğü orijin uyarlamalarından biri
Karanlıkta Yaşayan - Barry Smith (1974): "Yine Barry ama kısa ve eğlenceli bir hikaye. Sivri surat Conan çok göze batmıyor burada ama "Bunlar amatörü eğlendirir," diye okuyoruz. Kahramanımız zindanlara, dehlizlere neyin düşüyor ve bilin bakalım bulduğu şey nerede, ne yapıyor?
Kafatası Nehri'nin Sırrı - Jim Starlin (1974): "Ay meme görücem galiba," diye aşırı gaza gelen Conan'ın dev tokatladığı (lol, gerçekten dev tokatlamak, kötü kelime şakası değil) üzerine vazife olmayan işlere karıştığı, milletin tavuğuna kışt dediği dandik bir hikaye. Jim Starlin'in de hayli kötü, aptal aptal hatalar içeren, can sıkıcı çizimleriyle birleşince bitse de gitsek diyorsun. Ergen liseli çocuk defteri bulmak gibi, evlerden ırak olsun!
Ölmeyen Adamın Laneti - John Buscema (1974): Nihayet kavuşuyoruz Buscema'ya, Hikaye de Red Sonja'lı isabet, amman sabahlar olmasın. Yine durduk yere belaya bulaşıyorlar, campaign arası geçişlerde oynatılan mini maceralar gibi Sword & Sorcery muhabbetleri pek seviyorum ben. Sayfalar arasından kayıp giden çocukluğuma dalarcasına güzel.
Kara Dev- John Buscema (1974): Yine Buscema. Artık genel bir plot oluştuğunu, hikayelerin çok güçlü olmasa da devamlılığa sahip olmaya başladığını da görüyoruz. Hikaye de elbette bir edebiyat şaheseri değil ama bir tık daha dikkatli yazılmış. İblsli, büyücülü, kraliçeli, askerli akıp gidiyor.
Ay Tanrısı'nın Dağında Jim Starlin (1974): Starlin ile devam. Biraz üslubuna alıştığımdan, biraz da artık daha özenli çalıştığından çok canımı sıkmayan çizimler (ancak hala en fazla "tahammül ediyor," ve "Keşke hepsini Buscema çizseydi." diye düşünüyorum) ile devam ediyor hikaye yeni macerasıyla. Zayıf politik gerilim, lüzumsuz cinsel çekim ve bölüm sonu boss'u, bildiğin Conan işte hah!
Zirvenin Şeytanları - Tony De Zunga (1974): Bir sonraki öykünün çizimleri az tanıdığım bir isimden. Tony De Zunga hakkında karışık hislere sahibim. Aslında bana hitap etmiyor, kimi panelleri de son derece atıl duruyor. Ama ara sıra o kadar iyi portreler çıkıyor ki şaşırıyor insan. Keşke biraz daha stabil çalışabilseymiş. İleride daha iyi örneklerini göreceğiz diye tahmin ediyorum.
Ay Işığındaki Demir Gölgeler - John Buscema (1975): İlk yarının son hikayesi (Türkçe baskıda da ilk kitabın sonu) yine Bir Buscema çizimi ama çinilemede bazı sorunlar yaşanmış (Alfedo Alcala) ve kimi can sıkıcı görseller ortaya çıkmış maalesef. Hikaye, tam mid-level one shot D&D senaryosu gibi, tam kararında. Öyle ki alıp 3-4 saat üzerinde uğraşsam, biraz NPC, bir iki pre-planned macera kancası eklesem, oynatmaya hazır modül haline getiririm. Savaş sonrası katliamdan kurtulmuş olan Conan, bir kadını düşman subaylarından birinin tecavüzünden kurtarır. beraber gizemli olayların yaşandığı, korsanların da uğrak yeri olan bir adaya sığınırlar ve olaylar gelişir.
Bir Cadı Doğacak - John Buscema (1975): İkinci bölüme Buscema ile başlıyoruz. 7 bölümlük hikaye her şeyden biraz içeren, muhafız Yüzbaşısı Conan'ın ihanete uğradığı, kraliçenin kötü ikiz kardeşinin ortaya çıktığı, ihanetli, intikamlı, klişe dolu ama tam da bu yüzden çok eğlenceli bir hikaye. Çöl haydutluğu döneminin de başlangıcı pek ünlü macera, insanı alıp geçmişe geri götüren Klasik Conan hikayelerinden biri. Biraz Ray Bradbury'nin Something Wicked this Way Comes'ın önsözünde bahsettiği yazları hatırlatıyor. 90ların, her şeyin çok uzakta olduğu o uzun, çok uzun Temmuz günlerinin kokusunu taşıyor sanki.
Kumların Altında Uyuyan - Sonny Trinidad (1975): Conan yeni çöl kariyerinde ilerlerken, kendini Lovecraftvari bir kozmik korku macerasının ortasında buluyor. Uyuyan isimsiz dehşetiyle, kültistleriyle, dünyanın kendi dinamikleriyle tam bir Mitos macerası. Çizer Trinidad'ın her ne kadar yaratık tasarımından pek hoşlanmadıysam da -ki bu kitabıyla, oyunuyla, müziğiyle, çizimiyle, tabletop RPG'siyle çok fazla medyada çok ama çok fazla Lovecraftian materyal tüketmiş/üretmiş olmamla ilintili olabilir: beklentilerim yüksek- karakter çizimlerini gayet beğeniyorum. Conan'a ayrı bir hava, ayrı bir karizma katıyor.
Karanlığın Halkı - Alex Ninno (1975): Çöl macerasına biraz ara veriyoruz ve kıskançlığın güdümlediği cinai bir kararlılıkla Richard Brent'in peşinden giden Jim O'Brian adlı bir adamın hikayesini okuyor ve kafa travmasıyla Kimmeryalı bir savaşçı olduğuna dair hayallerine tanık oluyoruz. Meraklısının çok sevdiği bir hikaye anlatma biçimine çizer olarak Alex Ninno eşlik ediyor. Açıkçası çok sevmiyorum Ninno'nun çizgilerini ama bu hikayeye yakışmış gibi geliyor bana. Çinileme tarafı ise biraz zayıf. Hikaye çok iyi kurgulanmış değil, basit ama tatlı fakat asıl önemlisi bana Michael Moorcock'un Eternal Champions serisini hatırlattı ve başta Elric olmak üzere, yoğun biçimde tekrar Moorcock okuma isteği yarattı.
Zamanın Merkezindeki Tapınak - John Buscema (1975): ve Yine çöle geri dönüyoruz, bu sefer Buscema ile. Muhafız yüzbaşılığından umduğunu bulamayan Conan, çöl haydutluğu kariyerine devam ediyor. Belli ki çöl sıkıcı bir yer, bizimkisi de rahat duramıyorum, "vay efendim neden artık yağmalardan eskisi gibi olmuyor", "kesiyoruz kesiyoruz hep mavi item düşüyor" gibi boktan boktan nedenlerle olay çıkarıyor. Zaten zor şartlarda elden geldiğince bilim yapmaya çalışan dönemin alim sınıfına tebelleş oluyor, siyasal islam gibi çöküyor milletin üstüne arsız herif.
Sonsuzluk Şişesi - Tim Conrad (1975): Geldik kitabın çirkin kısımlarına. gelecek iki hikaye ile birlikte, kitabın en dandik hikayelerinden biri bu. Çizimlerinden o kadar nefret ettim ki hızlı hızlı okudum zaten. Mütemadiyen anatomik hatalar Tim'in dandik kağıt israfını acele değil ama çabuk çabuk geçiyorum.
Stygia'ya Karşı Korsan Gemileri - Gil Kane & Young Montano (1975): Yine kötü çizimler, "Editörünüz falan yok muydu lan sizin?" diye bağırır mı bir insan elindeki kitaba? Gil Kane sayesinde bağırıyormuş işte demek. Tutarsız da bir adam Gil, arka arkaya inanılmaz dandiklikte 10 panel sonra, muhteşem bir portre falan çizebiliyor herif. Neydi derdi acaba, neyse. Hikaye Kral Conan döneminden ve Kimmeryanın gülü, eski korsan arkadaşlarını esir olarak buluyor. Esirlerden biri "biz hepimiz senin için ölürüüz Amraa! Ama kişiliğimiz olmadığı, tam da güzel yazılamadığımız için, hepimiz adına sembolik olarak hep ben konuşucaaam, bana denizdeki kölelerin kolektif bilinci adam diyebilirsin Amraaa" diye bağırıyor. Arada siyahlar, kara derililer falan diye hitaplar giderek sertleşiyor falan filan. Şahsen zaman zaman tek kaşım havada baktım kitaba, "70ler öyleyse demek..." diye kapattım sonra.
Kimmeryalı Conan'ın Ölüm Şarkısı - Jess Jodloman (1975): Bu da Lin Carter'ın bir şiirinin uyarlaması. Tek sorun, çizer Jess Jodloman'ın matematik dersinde sıkıntıdan infilak etmek üzere olan arka sıradaki sözelci oğlanın defterine çiziktirdiği Conan kalitesindeki görselleri.
Kedi Tanrıça'nın Laneti - Pablo Marcos (1975): Nihayet dandiklikten biraz olsun kurtuluyoruz. Klasik bir cursed item hikayesi ki bayılırım. Çizimler de üzmüyor. Yine kararında, yine klişeden doğan güzellik var.
Fatih Conan - John Buscema (1976): Ve son hikaye Buscema çizgileriyle. Stygia'ya Karşı Korsan Gemileri'nin sonundan devam ediyoruz. Donunun üzerine ekstra bir de havlu sararak kimliğini gizleyen, büyük kılık değiştirme üstadı olan Conan Sets rahiplerinin mekanına sızıyor ve Ahriman'ın Kalbi etrafında şekilleniyor hikaye. Akılsızlıkları, göz devirme noktaları elbette var ki Conan'ı muhteşem mantık silsilesindeki olaylar veya inanılmaz akıllıca kurguları yüzünden seviyor da değiliz hoş. Ama İlkel çağların yenilmez savaşçısı adını taşıyacak bir hikaye.
Bütünü itibariyle güzel bir (veya iki) kitap. Arada bazı sıkıcı hikayeler olsa da, kimi dandik çizimlere maruz kalsak da sonuçta o pırıltıyı taşıyor. Ben vol 2 ile devam ediyorum yola. Sizin de canınız sırtınızı sağlam bir duvara verip, canınızı pahalıya satmayı" çekerse, çekinmeyin gelin. Başta biraz soğuk ama girince hemen alışıyorsunuz.
Dark Horse'un 70'lerden başlayarak, Conan hikayelerini toplandığı Savage Sword of Conan serisinin ilk cildi pek hızlı başlıyor. Kitap Marmara Çizgi tarafından ikiye bölünerek yayınlanmış. Haliyle bu yorumu yazdığım volume 1'in bizdeki karşılığı Barbar Conan'ın Vahşi Kılıcı cilt 1 ve cilt 2 oluyor.
Sağ baştan say!:
Bız Devinin Kızı - Barry Smith (1973): İlk hikaye, pek sevmediğim bir Conan çizerin olan Barry Windsor Smith elinden çıkmış. Smith 71'de best new talent ödülü almış, heyecanlı bir genç o yıllarda. 21 yaşındayken Marvel'in John Buscema'yı pahalı bulmasıyla şans tanınmış bir çizer. Sevenleri daha çok korsan zamanı ile hatırlar kendisini (bkz: Amra). Hikaye ise orijinal R.E.Howard hikayelerinden uyarlama. Haliyle kitaplardaki Conan'a oldukça yakın ama hayli kısa bir başlangıç.
Kızıl Çiviler - Barry Smith (1973): Üç bölümlük Kızıl Çiviler ilk hikayeden açık ara daha kaliteli. Smith'in özellikle yüz çizimleri beni yine rahatsız ediyor ama kendini okutan bir macera olduğu için bir süre sonra alışıyor insan.
Karanlık Tanrının Gecesi - Gil Kane (1974): Gil Kane Conanının hödük bir güzelliği var. Hikayeye yakıştırıyorum ben. Genç Conan'ın köyünü yağmalayanların peşine düştüğü orijin uyarlamalarından biri
Karanlıkta Yaşayan - Barry Smith (1974): "Yine Barry ama kısa ve eğlenceli bir hikaye. Sivri surat Conan çok göze batmıyor burada ama "Bunlar amatörü eğlendirir," diye okuyoruz. Kahramanımız zindanlara, dehlizlere neyin düşüyor ve bilin bakalım bulduğu şey nerede, ne yapıyor?
Kafatası Nehri'nin Sırrı - Jim Starlin (1974): "Ay meme görücem galiba," diye aşırı gaza gelen Conan'ın dev tokatladığı (lol, gerçekten dev tokatlamak, kötü kelime şakası değil) üzerine vazife olmayan işlere karıştığı, milletin tavuğuna kışt dediği dandik bir hikaye. Jim Starlin'in de hayli kötü, aptal aptal hatalar içeren, can sıkıcı çizimleriyle birleşince bitse de gitsek diyorsun. Ergen liseli çocuk defteri bulmak gibi, evlerden ırak olsun!
Ölmeyen Adamın Laneti - John Buscema (1974): Nihayet kavuşuyoruz Buscema'ya, Hikaye de Red Sonja'lı isabet, amman sabahlar olmasın. Yine durduk yere belaya bulaşıyorlar, campaign arası geçişlerde oynatılan mini maceralar gibi Sword & Sorcery muhabbetleri pek seviyorum ben. Sayfalar arasından kayıp giden çocukluğuma dalarcasına güzel.
Kara Dev- John Buscema (1974): Yine Buscema. Artık genel bir plot oluştuğunu, hikayelerin çok güçlü olmasa da devamlılığa sahip olmaya başladığını da görüyoruz. Hikaye de elbette bir edebiyat şaheseri değil ama bir tık daha dikkatli yazılmış. İblsli, büyücülü, kraliçeli, askerli akıp gidiyor.
Ay Tanrısı'nın Dağında Jim Starlin (1974): Starlin ile devam. Biraz üslubuna alıştığımdan, biraz da artık daha özenli çalıştığından çok canımı sıkmayan çizimler (ancak hala en fazla "tahammül ediyor," ve "Keşke hepsini Buscema çizseydi." diye düşünüyorum) ile devam ediyor hikaye yeni macerasıyla. Zayıf politik gerilim, lüzumsuz cinsel çekim ve bölüm sonu boss'u, bildiğin Conan işte hah!
Zirvenin Şeytanları - Tony De Zunga (1974): Bir sonraki öykünün çizimleri az tanıdığım bir isimden. Tony De Zunga hakkında karışık hislere sahibim. Aslında bana hitap etmiyor, kimi panelleri de son derece atıl duruyor. Ama ara sıra o kadar iyi portreler çıkıyor ki şaşırıyor insan. Keşke biraz daha stabil çalışabilseymiş. İleride daha iyi örneklerini göreceğiz diye tahmin ediyorum.
Ay Işığındaki Demir Gölgeler - John Buscema (1975): İlk yarının son hikayesi (Türkçe baskıda da ilk kitabın sonu) yine Bir Buscema çizimi ama çinilemede bazı sorunlar yaşanmış (Alfedo Alcala) ve kimi can sıkıcı görseller ortaya çıkmış maalesef. Hikaye, tam mid-level one shot D&D senaryosu gibi, tam kararında. Öyle ki alıp 3-4 saat üzerinde uğraşsam, biraz NPC, bir iki pre-planned macera kancası eklesem, oynatmaya hazır modül haline getiririm. Savaş sonrası katliamdan kurtulmuş olan Conan, bir kadını düşman subaylarından birinin tecavüzünden kurtarır. beraber gizemli olayların yaşandığı, korsanların da uğrak yeri olan bir adaya sığınırlar ve olaylar gelişir.
Bir Cadı Doğacak - John Buscema (1975): İkinci bölüme Buscema ile başlıyoruz. 7 bölümlük hikaye her şeyden biraz içeren, muhafız Yüzbaşısı Conan'ın ihanete uğradığı, kraliçenin kötü ikiz kardeşinin ortaya çıktığı, ihanetli, intikamlı, klişe dolu ama tam da bu yüzden çok eğlenceli bir hikaye. Çöl haydutluğu döneminin de başlangıcı pek ünlü macera, insanı alıp geçmişe geri götüren Klasik Conan hikayelerinden biri. Biraz Ray Bradbury'nin Something Wicked this Way Comes'ın önsözünde bahsettiği yazları hatırlatıyor. 90ların, her şeyin çok uzakta olduğu o uzun, çok uzun Temmuz günlerinin kokusunu taşıyor sanki.
Kumların Altında Uyuyan - Sonny Trinidad (1975): Conan yeni çöl kariyerinde ilerlerken, kendini Lovecraftvari bir kozmik korku macerasının ortasında buluyor. Uyuyan isimsiz dehşetiyle, kültistleriyle, dünyanın kendi dinamikleriyle tam bir Mitos macerası. Çizer Trinidad'ın her ne kadar yaratık tasarımından pek hoşlanmadıysam da -ki bu kitabıyla, oyunuyla, müziğiyle, çizimiyle, tabletop RPG'siyle çok fazla medyada çok ama çok fazla Lovecraftian materyal tüketmiş/üretmiş olmamla ilintili olabilir: beklentilerim yüksek- karakter çizimlerini gayet beğeniyorum. Conan'a ayrı bir hava, ayrı bir karizma katıyor.
Karanlığın Halkı - Alex Ninno (1975): Çöl macerasına biraz ara veriyoruz ve kıskançlığın güdümlediği cinai bir kararlılıkla Richard Brent'in peşinden giden Jim O'Brian adlı bir adamın hikayesini okuyor ve kafa travmasıyla Kimmeryalı bir savaşçı olduğuna dair hayallerine tanık oluyoruz. Meraklısının çok sevdiği bir hikaye anlatma biçimine çizer olarak Alex Ninno eşlik ediyor. Açıkçası çok sevmiyorum Ninno'nun çizgilerini ama bu hikayeye yakışmış gibi geliyor bana. Çinileme tarafı ise biraz zayıf. Hikaye çok iyi kurgulanmış değil, basit ama tatlı fakat asıl önemlisi bana Michael Moorcock'un Eternal Champions serisini hatırlattı ve başta Elric olmak üzere, yoğun biçimde tekrar Moorcock okuma isteği yarattı.
Zamanın Merkezindeki Tapınak - John Buscema (1975): ve Yine çöle geri dönüyoruz, bu sefer Buscema ile. Muhafız yüzbaşılığından umduğunu bulamayan Conan, çöl haydutluğu kariyerine devam ediyor. Belli ki çöl sıkıcı bir yer, bizimkisi de rahat duramıyorum, "vay efendim neden artık yağmalardan eskisi gibi olmuyor", "kesiyoruz kesiyoruz hep mavi item düşüyor" gibi boktan boktan nedenlerle olay çıkarıyor. Zaten zor şartlarda elden geldiğince bilim yapmaya çalışan dönemin alim sınıfına tebelleş oluyor, siyasal islam gibi çöküyor milletin üstüne arsız herif.
Sonsuzluk Şişesi - Tim Conrad (1975): Geldik kitabın çirkin kısımlarına. gelecek iki hikaye ile birlikte, kitabın en dandik hikayelerinden biri bu. Çizimlerinden o kadar nefret ettim ki hızlı hızlı okudum zaten. Mütemadiyen anatomik hatalar Tim'in dandik kağıt israfını acele değil ama çabuk çabuk geçiyorum.
Stygia'ya Karşı Korsan Gemileri - Gil Kane & Young Montano (1975): Yine kötü çizimler, "Editörünüz falan yok muydu lan sizin?" diye bağırır mı bir insan elindeki kitaba? Gil Kane sayesinde bağırıyormuş işte demek. Tutarsız da bir adam Gil, arka arkaya inanılmaz dandiklikte 10 panel sonra, muhteşem bir portre falan çizebiliyor herif. Neydi derdi acaba, neyse. Hikaye Kral Conan döneminden ve Kimmeryanın gülü, eski korsan arkadaşlarını esir olarak buluyor. Esirlerden biri "biz hepimiz senin için ölürüüz Amraa! Ama kişiliğimiz olmadığı, tam da güzel yazılamadığımız için, hepimiz adına sembolik olarak hep ben konuşucaaam, bana denizdeki kölelerin kolektif bilinci adam diyebilirsin Amraaa" diye bağırıyor. Arada siyahlar, kara derililer falan diye hitaplar giderek sertleşiyor falan filan. Şahsen zaman zaman tek kaşım havada baktım kitaba, "70ler öyleyse demek..." diye kapattım sonra.
Kimmeryalı Conan'ın Ölüm Şarkısı - Jess Jodloman (1975): Bu da Lin Carter'ın bir şiirinin uyarlaması. Tek sorun, çizer Jess Jodloman'ın matematik dersinde sıkıntıdan infilak etmek üzere olan arka sıradaki sözelci oğlanın defterine çiziktirdiği Conan kalitesindeki görselleri.
Kedi Tanrıça'nın Laneti - Pablo Marcos (1975): Nihayet dandiklikten biraz olsun kurtuluyoruz. Klasik bir cursed item hikayesi ki bayılırım. Çizimler de üzmüyor. Yine kararında, yine klişeden doğan güzellik var.
Fatih Conan - John Buscema (1976): Ve son hikaye Buscema çizgileriyle. Stygia'ya Karşı Korsan Gemileri'nin sonundan devam ediyoruz. Donunun üzerine ekstra bir de havlu sararak kimliğini gizleyen, büyük kılık değiştirme üstadı olan Conan Sets rahiplerinin mekanına sızıyor ve Ahriman'ın Kalbi etrafında şekilleniyor hikaye. Akılsızlıkları, göz devirme noktaları elbette var ki Conan'ı muhteşem mantık silsilesindeki olaylar veya inanılmaz akıllıca kurguları yüzünden seviyor da değiliz hoş. Ama İlkel çağların yenilmez savaşçısı adını taşıyacak bir hikaye.
Bütünü itibariyle güzel bir (veya iki) kitap. Arada bazı sıkıcı hikayeler olsa da, kimi dandik çizimlere maruz kalsak da sonuçta o pırıltıyı taşıyor. Ben vol 2 ile devam ediyorum yola. Sizin de canınız sırtınızı sağlam bir duvara verip, canınızı pahalıya satmayı" çekerse, çekinmeyin gelin. Başta biraz soğuk ama girince hemen alışıyorsunuz.
June 6, 2020
I first encountered Conan in the ads that would appear in Marvel magazines in the early to mid 1970s. This was while I was in Junior High and living in Texas. I didn’t know who Robert E Howard was. I didn’t know anything about Conan. The movie was still some 8 years from opening in the theaters. But when I saw some issues with art by Barry Windsor-Smith I knew I had to read this this comic. To this day the Windsor-Smith art era is still my favorite take on the character. Some years ago I decided to start rereading the entire series from Marvel in as close to chronological order as I could. I always knew that the stories in Savage Sword of Conan might be difficult to place. I was right, while some are easy to pinpoint, others are a nightmare. So after I got through the initial 120 issues or so of Conan the Barbarian, I decided to take a break. Unfortunately, it never got any easier to place these black & white masterpieces. There some of these early tales that are easy to place, others are just head scratching. Savage Sword of Conan jumps around a lot, such is the nature of an anthology. There are a lot of inconsistencies in characterization. Which is particularly frustrating when having read the fairly tightly developing process from Conan the Barbarian title. I’m not saying these stories aren’t as good, in fact they’re quite good and in some ways better than the forced linear continuity of Conan the Barbarian . But taken as a whole they do lack the cohesion of that title. But the art is pretty spectacular and the black and white fits the tone and texture of Robert E Howard’s stories better better than the four-color reality of standard comics.
April 17, 2019
Well, this took longer than I anticipated, but I should’ve known better. Comics today are notorious for being decompressed. Meaning the plot is spread out and carried mostly by the art and some dialogue. This collection of Savage Sword is from peak 70’s Marvel, which means page after page of captions, which makes for longer reading. This is compounded by Roy Thomas (whom I love as a comic writer) never meeting a trivial detail or description go to waste.
The art in this volume is nothing short of spectacular, with the best Marvel artists of the time doing amazing black and white work. It is worth reading for the art alone.
Another reason this took a while was because the stories are very similar. Conan gets caught up in an adventure, has to escape, fights a terrible battle at the end, and rides off into the sunset. Being the beginning of the run, you get the sense that the creative teams are still working out what they want to do.
All in all, this is a piece of comics history and worth reading. Just go into it knowing that it is much denser than modern comics.
The art in this volume is nothing short of spectacular, with the best Marvel artists of the time doing amazing black and white work. It is worth reading for the art alone.
Another reason this took a while was because the stories are very similar. Conan gets caught up in an adventure, has to escape, fights a terrible battle at the end, and rides off into the sunset. Being the beginning of the run, you get the sense that the creative teams are still working out what they want to do.
All in all, this is a piece of comics history and worth reading. Just go into it knowing that it is much denser than modern comics.
January 27, 2019
I’ve actually read all of these before. I have the original comics, but got them in the graphic novel form for ease of reading. These comics follow the adventures of Conan and are just fun reads. They’re filled with action and epic battles.
Conan the Barbarian is a warrior, thief, pirate, assassin, lover, fighter, and more. He is from Cimmeria and his God is Crom. He lives by his own set of morals and is untrusting of magic.
The outfits worn by the majority of the women in these stories are kind of ridiculous; they’re extremely impractical. To be fair though, Conan often wears just as little clothing as the women do.
The one major misstep of this series is in the first issue. There is a part that makes Conan seem very rapey, which is so not okay. Thankfully that’s the only occasion and the rest of the comics do not portray him in that way otherwise I would not actually have followed this series or like his character as much as I do.
Conan the Barbarian is a warrior, thief, pirate, assassin, lover, fighter, and more. He is from Cimmeria and his God is Crom. He lives by his own set of morals and is untrusting of magic.
The outfits worn by the majority of the women in these stories are kind of ridiculous; they’re extremely impractical. To be fair though, Conan often wears just as little clothing as the women do.
The one major misstep of this series is in the first issue. There is a part that makes Conan seem very rapey, which is so not okay. Thankfully that’s the only occasion and the rest of the comics do not portray him in that way otherwise I would not actually have followed this series or like his character as much as I do.
August 31, 2017
I'm giving this a 5, but I will note that due to the various writers of SSC, there are some stories that are underwhelming. But all in all, especially those written by Roy, this is a title I was DYING to be re-released into volume format. It took so long, but when it did, it didn't disappoint! SSC was my first taste of what black and white art was and how powerful, crisp and detailed it could be. It showed you what pure black and white could achieve without colour, lighting effects or shading to fill in the art. John Buscema's Conan art style is the epitome of Conan art. Ernie Chan held his own too. It was everything I expected it to be. I also had so much fun reading the language used in SSC. That old fashioned way of speaking similar to medieval times. A tankard of ale and a comely wench after a weary journey is all I need by Crom! Conan is the type of hero who's seen and conquered it all, damn your hides!
May 12, 2017
This is one colossal collection that I had to tackle a couple bites at a time.
I have no doubt these issues were a treat for Conan fans when they published, but modern readers will probably find the dialogue overwritten. As Conan is regularly resurrected and many of these tales are based on Robert E. Howard's original material most older fans will find little new here and new fans are probably better off plunging into the more recent Darkhorse series for an introduction to Conan.
However, if you're a young artist or perhaps interested in scripting comics someday you should definitely take a look here to familiarize yourself with the primal nature of these tales- they will give you a good sense of the origins of epic fantasy/sword and sorcery in the sequential art medium.
I have no doubt these issues were a treat for Conan fans when they published, but modern readers will probably find the dialogue overwritten. As Conan is regularly resurrected and many of these tales are based on Robert E. Howard's original material most older fans will find little new here and new fans are probably better off plunging into the more recent Darkhorse series for an introduction to Conan.
However, if you're a young artist or perhaps interested in scripting comics someday you should definitely take a look here to familiarize yourself with the primal nature of these tales- they will give you a good sense of the origins of epic fantasy/sword and sorcery in the sequential art medium.
May 27, 2018
I used to read The Savage Sword of Conan when I was a kid back in the day, and I am happy to report that these stories still hold up pretty well. The artwork is fantastic and most of the stories are pretty good. Many of the stories in these early volumes are adaptations of Howard's original Conan stories, so there is some retreaded ground here (but it is fun to see some art added to them). Besides that, there are a few issues that deal with time travel that are a bit silly, and we have to suffer through Lin Carter's terrible poetry but, overall, I was very pleased that I picked this collection up and I will definitely be reading further volumes.
April 12, 2024
When I first received both volumes of Savage Sword as a gift, I couldn't have been happier. And when I started reading volume one, in March, I was certain I would finish by that summer (dipping in and out between novels along the way). But that was March 2021 (three years ago as I write) and every time I pick up this book to read a story, I find it more and more of a slog so I'm finally giving up.
The other realization I've had is that despite the great artwork, I'd rather read Howard's original Conan stories than these adaptations. Something about them just isn't as interesting (for me, of course). So, sadly, this is a DNF though I tried, I really did try.
The other realization I've had is that despite the great artwork, I'd rather read Howard's original Conan stories than these adaptations. Something about them just isn't as interesting (for me, of course). So, sadly, this is a DNF though I tried, I really did try.
February 23, 2020
This is a reprint of stories from the 1970s magazine of the same name. It contains many good adaptations of Robert E. Howards original Conan stories along with several other ones that follow in the a decent mimicry of the original author's style and often follow in the general timelines of Conan's life as established by the author, filling in the gaps between stories.
October 27, 2017
I loved this book more as an historical artistic landmark in the evolution of Conan than for its content that I found uneven (both on art and story) and generally (very) badly written. A fun read that does not make me want to read more.
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