Conan the Barbarian

[stroszek]

Conan has always been my favorite. I'm digging deep through my collection these days to get an inventory and whenever I find a few Conan books that I didn't have filed with the main title, I sometimes drop my inventory and just sit down and read.

 

Today I found a Giant-Sized Conan 1 I didn't know I had and just had to stop and read it. Part one of "Hour of the Dragon" plus a re-colored reprint of Conan #3. Great stuff.

 

However, we need to get Overstreet (and CGC? I'm not sure) to stop calling this the 1st appearance of Belit. There's a full splash page with King Conan discussing his life as an adventurer. He mentions the name Belit and describes her as having been in league with Valeria. The picture below that text is of a blond woman who I would assume is Valeria, not Belit. Just mentioning Belit's name shouldn't merit a first appearance.

[Brian48]

Yeah. I agree. Picked up a decent reader copy last year and as I read through it, I kept saying to myself "Where the f is Belit?". It says that on the CGC label of my slabbed copy as well. I don't think anyone over at Overstreet and CGC ever bothered to verify or correct this since Belit is such a minor character to the rest of the world.

 

Now if they ever do a successful film adaptation of Queen of the Black Coast, that might change.

[stroszek]

Yeah. I agree. Picked up a decent reader copy last year and as I read through it, I kept saying to myself "Where the f is Belit?". It says that on the CGC label of my slabbed copy as well. I don't think anyone over at Overstreet and CGC ever bothered to verify or correct this since Belit is such a minor character to the rest of the world.

 

Now if they ever do a successful film adaptation of Queen of the Black Coast, that might change.

 

I was quite pleased with the recent Dark Horse take on Belit. I know some folks weren't happy about the "Barbarian Romance" angle, but it really brought Belit back to life for me and, I hope, reinvigorated her for a new generation of Conan readers. I know she'll never be a major character or a relevant "collectible" but I don't care; she'll always be one of my favorites. So it would be nice if they got her 1st appearance right.

 

 

[Brian48]

I actually liked DH's take on Belit. The relationship between Conan and her was more believable for me than Marvel's interpretation. In many ways, the romance aspect was very natural as this was supposed to be a very young and still somewhat impressionable Conan. Who hasn't been that stupid and head over heels at that age? The problem with Buscema's rendering is that Conan always looked like he was perpetually in his mid-30's. The young love aspect would have come off as hard to swallow.

 

In any case, I read it just like Tarentino's -script for "True Romance" with Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Two wacky kids crazy in love with each other and hacking a [really] bloody path through everything and everywhere they went. A wild ride ending exactly how we knew it would end, even if we didn't know the original ending.

[mtlevy]

Just picked up a reader of "Belit's 1st appearance"..it is a joke per the June post...it is the 1st time her name is mentioned...she is not depicted anywhere in the issue versus Conan 58 where she is on the cover and featured through out

 

If 1st Wolverine app Hulk 181 > Hulk 180 then Belit Conan 58 >>>>> Conan GS 1

[mtlevy]

bump...

[Artboy99]

Just picked up a reader of "Belit's 1st appearance"..it is a joke per the June post...it is the 1st time her name is mentioned...she is not depicted anywhere in the issue versus Conan 58 where she is on the cover and featured through out

 

If 1st Wolverine app Hulk 181 > Hulk 180 then Belit Conan 58 >>>>> Conan GS 1

 

Agreed

[Artboy99]

Great to see some appreciation for Conan comics. One thing that drew me to Conan was the art and the stories. I could always rely on Conan delivering some great stories to read unlike the other titles I collect.

 

I have a 1-100 marvel run, I also have a Savage Sword 1-100 run. I also have all of the trades with the revisited classic tales with the great Cary Nord art. Also have all of the Darkhorse Conans and I agree that I loved the new take on Belit.

 

One of my favorite reads is:

Loved Conan's all to manly reaction to Sonja after the swim

 

My Marvel run is all VF+ with many NM 9.4's.

Here is the lowest grade book in my run:

 

[Brian48]

Anyone here keeping pace with the Dark Horse books? Just read the first installment of the Hour of Dragon trade a few weeks back. Really well done and dare I say, probably better than the Thomas/G.Kane version that got kick started with Giant-Size Conan #1. Can't wait for next chapters.

 

The one thing that still puzzles me when it comes to these REH adaptations, is that there has not been one attempt to adapt Red Nails ever since Thomas/BWS did it in the early '70s. I wonder if there's some sort of licensing issue with this story, although I really doubt that. All the other REH stories have been re-adapted already, some multiple times. I believe Tower of the Elephant has been adapted 3-4 friggin' times already. Yet, only *one* Red Nails. Maybe everyone is intimidated and don't think they can come close to matching the Thomas/BWS effort, which is without a doubt the team's best work. As far as I can tell, this version of Red Nails has been reprinted what, 5-6 times since it's debut in Savage Tales #2 and #3? There's certainly been a steady demand for this story, at least for this version anyway since they keep reprinting it over and over again.

 

 

[Artboy99]

Anyone here keeping pace with the Dark Horse books? Just read the first installment of the Hour of Dragon trade a few weeks back. Really well done and dare I say, probably better than the Thomas/G.Kane version that got kick started with Giant-Size Conan #1. Can't wait for next chapters.

 

The one thing that still puzzles me when it comes to these REH adaptations, is that there has not been one attempt to adapt Red Nails ever since Thomas/BWS did it in the early '70s. I wonder if there's some sort of licensing issue with this story, although I really doubt that. All the other REH stories have been re-adapted already, some multiple times. I believe Tower of the Elephant has been adapted 3-4 friggin' times already. Yet, only *one* Red Nails. Maybe everyone is intimidated and don't think they can come close to matching the Thomas/BWS effort, which is without a doubt the team's best work. As far as I can tell, this version of Red Nails has been reprinted what, 5-6 times since it's debut in Savage Tales #2 and #3? There's certainly been a steady demand for this story, at least for this version anyway since they keep reprinting it over and over again.

 

 

I absolutely love the artist edition of this story.

http://www.amazon.com/CONAN-Windsor-Deluxe-Hardcover-Slipcase/dp/1467572152

[Brian48]

Anyone here keeping pace with the Dark Horse books? Just read the first installment of the Hour of Dragon trade a few weeks back. Really well done and dare I say, probably better than the Thomas/G.Kane version that got kick started with Giant-Size Conan #1. Can't wait for next chapters.

 

The one thing that still puzzles me when it comes to these REH adaptations, is that there has not been one attempt to adapt Red Nails ever since Thomas/BWS did it in the early '70s. I wonder if there's some sort of licensing issue with this story, although I really doubt that. All the other REH stories have been re-adapted already, some multiple times. I believe Tower of the Elephant has been adapted 3-4 friggin' times already. Yet, only *one* Red Nails. Maybe everyone is intimidated and don't think they can come close to matching the Thomas/BWS effort, which is without a doubt the team's best work. As far as I can tell, this version of Red Nails has been reprinted what, 5-6 times since it's debut in Savage Tales #2 and #3? There's certainly been a steady demand for this story, at least for this version anyway since they keep reprinting it over and over again.

 

 

I absolutely love the artist edition of this story.

http://www.amazon.com/CONAN-Windsor-Deluxe-Hardcover-Slipcase/dp/1467572152

 

Yeah. A couple of times I almost pulled the trigger on this one. Not sure why I haven't actually. If there's ever story that deserves an artist's edition, Red Nails is certainly it.

[musicmeta]

I really want to get a Conan #1 in 9.6 white. I've got 2-26 all in 9.6 white with 22 and 25 in 9.8 white. #26 is the first issue I bought off the stands when I was a kid.