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The original Conan stories

Started by tilleycs,

16 posts in this topic

tilleycs

tilleycs

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I should preface this by saying that I've never really been much of a fan of science fiction, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, etc. I saw the two Conan movies back in the 80's, but that's it. I don't hate the genre, I just never got into it.

 

But I recently became curious about the original Conan stories after reading (of all things) an article in Game Informer magazine on the upcoming Conan video game. I never realized that his first appearances were in the old pulp magazines in the 30's and not in comics.

 

So I got a copy of "The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian" at my local library, and I've almost finished it. I have REALLY enjoyed the stories. I'd recommend them to anyone.

 

Yesterday I was reading up on Conan in WikiPedia, and found a link to WikiSource, which has free online versions of stories. Here is REH's page, where you can read all the original Conan stories (and practically everything else he wrote) for free: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Robert_E._Howard

 

I've never read a single Conan comic outside of his "What If" appearances (my favorite was toward the end of vol. 1, where he fought Captain America), but now I'm curious - how many of the orignial Conan stories were done in the comics? I know "Tower of the Elephant" was (there's a picture of the splash page in WikiPedia), but I'm curious how many others were. Anyone know?

 

Also, has anyone seen the movie that was made about REH ("The Whole Wide World")? How is it?

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Theagenes

Theagenes

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That's cool you discovered Howard's original stories - great stuff. Pretty much all of them have been adapted into comic format. There was a webpage I saw one time that listed them all - I'll see if I can find it.

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ArAich

ArAich

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The Conan mags are rife with REH adaptations...that's why I like the mags better than the comics...the stories were translated better ... "Red Nails" especially...cloud9.gif

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Scrooge

Scrooge

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Most of the stories in the current Dark Horse series are adapted from REH's material (except from the Rise on the Battlefield or whatever it's called stories and some "bridge" stories). What's more it is re-adapting stories that Marvel already did so you can compare and contrast the two comic treatments.

 

As for the biopic, it was not that memorable. I saw it but it's more the image of Novalyne rather than Howard's that sticks in my mind from the movie.

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143ksk

143ksk

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Yes, even fragments of stories or uncompleted ones have been fleshed out in the comics.

 

Not to mention REH stories that weren't even Conan stories to begin with...

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Theagenes

Theagenes

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Most of the stories in the current Dark Horse series are adapted from REH's material (except from the Rise on the Battlefield or whatever it's called stories and some "bridge" stories). What's more it is re-adapting stories that Marvel already did so you can compare and contrast the two comic treatments.

 

As for the biopic, it was not that memorable. I saw it but it's more the image of Novalyne rather than Howard's that sticks in my mind from the movie.

 

I really don't read new comics at all, but I've been reading the new DH Conans (as the trade paperbacks have come out) and I thoroughly enjoy them. As much as I loved the Thomas/Buscema version growing up, especially SSOC, I really think the new DH comics capture the feel of REH much better. thumbsup2.gif

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Monkeyman

Monkeyman

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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is volume 1 of a three volume set that reprints all the REH Conan stories. The other two are The Conquering Sword of Conan and The Bloody Crown of Conan. Del Ray has also reprinted The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn: The Last King (every time I hear the name Bran Mak Morn I can't help but think of Cerebus's Bran Mac Muffin 27_laughing.gif). You can buy them from Bud Plant.

 

Mike

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Theagenes

Theagenes

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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is volume 1 of a three volume set that reprints all the REH Conan stories. The other two are The Conquering Sword of Conan and The Bloody Crown of Conan. Del Ray has also reprinted The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn: The Last King (every time I hear the name Bran Mak Morn I can't help but think of Cerebus's Bran Mac Muffin 27_laughing.gif). You can buy them from Bud Plant.

 

Mike

 

There is also a Kull volume that was just released last fall. thumbsup2.gif

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tilleycs

tilleycs

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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is volume 1 of a three volume set that reprints all the REH Conan stories. The other two are The Conquering Sword of Conan and The Bloody Crown of Conan.

 

I think my local library has The Bloody Crown. I've got some other books to read first (I finished vol. 1 last night), but I'll definitely add it to my list.

 

Good to hear that the comics are good and capture the feel of the REH stories. I don't want to start collecting them, but I may try to find some of the DH TPBs.

 

Did Marvel ever release an Essential Conan?

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Scrooge

Scrooge

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Did Marvel ever release an Essential Conan?

 

There was 1 volume of Essential Conan but after that Dark Horse has been reprinting the Marvel series from the beginning (i.e. starting with the issues in the Essential) in TPB in color. thumbsup2.gif

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Ze-man

Ze-man

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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is volume 1 of a three volume set that reprints all the REH Conan stories. The other two are The Conquering Sword of Conan and The Bloody Crown of Conan. Del Ray has also reprinted The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn: The Last King (every time I hear the name Bran Mak Morn I can't help but think of Cerebus's Bran Mac Muffin 27_laughing.gif). You can buy them from Bud Plant.

 

Mike

 

There is also a Kull volume that was just released last fall. thumbsup2.gif

 

I saw all of these recently at the bookstore and was tempted. You guys talked me into it.

 

Ze-

 

thumbsup2.gif

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Griz

Griz

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I saw all of these recently at the bookstore and was tempted. You guys talked me into it.

 

Ze-

 

thumbsup2.gif

 

I think you will be pleased. The Darkhorse series is one of the few modern comics I prefer to read and the original REH stories are a lot of fun. I enjoy in the original Howard stories the occasional allusions to Lovecraftian horrors. If you are a Lovecraft fan, as I am, it is an extra bonus. Great fun to read.

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tilleycs

tilleycs

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I think you will be pleased. The Darkhorse series is one of the few modern comics I prefer to read and the original REH stories are a lot of fun. I enjoy in the original Howard stories the occasional allusions to Lovecraftian horrors. If you are a Lovecraft fan, as I am, it is an extra bonus. Great fun to read.

 

It was interesting to read online that REH and Lovecraft were contemporaries and knew each other. I've read (online) one of the letters that REH sent Lovecraft.

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