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Post by Doghouse Reilly on Jul 26, 2024 8:27:23 GMT -5
I used to have a Thomas-only policy on collecting Marvel's Conan. After all these years, I'm not quite sure why anymore. Maybe I just kept hearing horrible things about the non-Thomas stories. Anyway, after another reading of Roquefort Raider's indispensable Annotated Savage Sword thread, I was sold on some of the Dixon, Fleisher, Kraar, and Yakata stories. (and so my "want" list has expanded to the point that it's not going to get done this year, as planned. next year is the year for sure!)
Since I'm expanding my Marvel Conan horizon, I'm wondering if there's any stand-out, non-Roy stories (single or multi-issue) to start with? I'm not a series completist. There's lots of sections of my comics collection that consist of non-consecutive floppies, often with different series interspersed. So I'm not necessarily looking for a good "run" on King Conan/Conan The King, just memorable stories.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 27, 2024 15:14:05 GMT -5
I used to have a Thomas-only policy on collecting Marvel's Conan. After all these years, I'm not quite sure why anymore. Maybe I just kept hearing horrible things about the non-Thomas stories. Anyway, after another reading of Roquefort Raider's indispensable Annotated Savage Sword thread, I was sold on some of the Dixon, Fleisher, Kraar, and Yakata stories. (and so my "want" list has expanded to the point that it's not going to get done this year, as planned. next year is the year for sure!) Since I'm expanding my Marvel Conan horizon, I'm wondering if there's any stand-out, non-Roy stories (single or multi-issue) to start with? I'm not a series completist. There's lots of sections of my comics collection that consist of non-consecutive floppies, often with different series interspersed. So I'm not necessarily looking for a good "run" on King Conan/Conan The King, just memorable stories. There was a lot of dross during the bad old years, but here and there we were treated to material worthy of being hunted down! Luckily, I doubt any of the following issues demand a high price. Conan the King #28, co-starring Red Sonja, was a very good issue. It can be read independently of the rest of the (excellent) Alan Zelenetz run on the title, and has very good art by Marc Silvestri and Geoff Isherwood (and a cover by Mike Kaluta). I enjoyed seeing Conan being tempted into giving up his heavy responsibilities for a renewed life of adventure. (He doesn't come across as a very likeable fellow, mostly, but still manages to do the right thing). I recommend all of Zelenetz' run on K8ng Conan/Conan the king. Also of interest... Savage Sword of Conan #162 has beautiful art by Jorge Zaffino, very much unlike the usual style of the mag. It reminded me of what Hugo Pratt might have done if he had decided to adopt a more realistic style. Conan the barbarian #127 is a simple story, but I thought it had a very classic feel (J.M. deMatteis wrote it, if memory serves). The Gil Kane art (unmarred by the work of a certain inker) harks back to the glory days of the title. Conan the barbarian #145 is written by Alan Zelenetz who, unlike Michael Fleisher, knows what Cimmeria is supposed to feel like. The story is a sequel of sort to CtB #48 and we meet the young son Conan never knew he had. Pretty dramatic story altogether, and artist Richard Howell does a very honourable job for what was doubtless planned as a fill-in issue. Conan the barbarian #172-178 is the first story arc by Jim Owsley/Christopher Priest on the title, and it was a breath of fresh air on top of being a pretty good yarn on its own. It absolutely felt like a return to the Thomas issues from the early Buscema days: the Hyborian age was described as it should be, and the characters were interesting. The rest of Owsley's run is also very good, but I'd really start at the beginning. |
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Post by commond on Jul 27, 2024 16:21:41 GMT -5
Would you consider the Zelenetz and Owsley runs to be the two best non-Thomas runs? Is there any other writer you'd recommend?
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 28, 2024 17:58:15 GMT -5
Would you consider the Zelenetz and Owsley runs to be the two best non-Thomas runs? Is there any other writer you'd recommend? At Marvel, absolutely... although I must give Chuck Dixon credit for writing very entertaining Conan stories and coming up with the neat battle-cry "Crom, count the dead!" The only caveat with Dixon is that his Conan, while in character, lives in a world that is superficially linked to Howard's work. For example, his Valeria is nothing like the one we saw in Red Nails, and we are treated to things like border conflict between Aquilonia and Vanaheim (they don't share a border), a Nemedian navy (Nemedia is landlocked) and Conan having been the warlord of Nemedia for a good long while. His stories are fun, but they all seem to be out of continuity. Owsley's run is marked by an issue-to-issue continuity; he introduces new characters and new situations, develops them in a satisfying manner, and does not revert Conan to a penniless wanderer every six issues. It was under his pen that we had the last true constant cast of characters in a Conan mag, if you exclude Roy's re-introduction of many old figures from the past at the end of his run. (I really should re-read Owsley's run... it's been more than 20 years). |
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