I'm not one for lord of the rings, dungeons and dragons or those kind of fantasy settings. I love my comics, books and films, but that type of fantasy world has never really appealed to me.

I'm an eighties kid and a big fan of the action genre and Schwarzenegger movies, but only recently got round to watching the first Conan film a couple of years ago, which I think highlights my disinterest with the genre (I've also since learned this portrayal of Conan is not completely faithful to the original character).

However, I have suddenly started having a recent fascination with Conan and the lore that surrounds him. I'm not sure where it started, I think it was a combination of the hype around the recent comic series, finding out how well revered the old comics are and how the original stories by Howard created a whole new genre.

I've read some stories by Howard and started reading and collecting the recent Titan comics and really enjoyed them. I'm excited to read more. I like the pulp style telling of the stories and that it's something fresh and completely different to what I normally read. I also have a real fascination with the character of Conan. I've learnt that when Conan is written properly he uses his brains as well as his brawn, which I find appealing.

I also find the simplicity of a man with a sword, shield, his brute strength and a 'never say die' attitude, going after what he wants in the strange world that he inhabits really interesting and immersive to read about. The same way westerns appeal to me when it's just one man and a gun at his side arriving in a dusty old town. Cliche I know, but it's what I like. Beautiful simplicity in which you can tell complex stories with interesting and compelling themes. I also find it fascinating how writers can tell so many varied and interesting stories with a character who from the outside has such a simple premise.

I've also come to learn that the genre created from the Conan stories is called 'sword and sorcery' (I thought it all came under the fantasy genre, I didn't realise there were sub-sections), but I'm only really interested in Conan for the reasons stated above.

When I like something I tend to analyse why I like it. I understand that a lot of it comes from admiring traits in certain characters such as strength, competency and assertiveness. Of course, that's why characters like Batman and James Bond are so popular, fantasies where we put ourselves in their place and live out our own power fantasies. I would put Conan in with these archetypes and understand that this is where a lot of Howard's motivation came from in writing Conan stories, with Conan being a power fantasy of his own.

All this to ask

- What is it you like about the Conan stories?

- What got you into Conan in the first place?

- Am I alone in not having a liking for fantasy in general, but really liking the Conan stories?

- Is there something unique about the Conan stories that makes them so appealing?

- What have I got to look forward to as I read more of Conan's adventures? I will obviously be reading more original stories written by Howard and I'll be looking into 'The Savage Sword of Conan' comics too

Note: When I write about the simplicity of the character/premise it's meant with praise not in a derogatory or condescending way. I mean looking in from the outside it would seem like this. The character and stories can be as complex as the writer wants them to be.

Thank you.

Also I think one of the few Conan comic runs that bothered to use the map to show where it's all happening as we follow Conan

I started doing these a few weeks ago, after not drawing for like 10 years, in an attempt to get better at portraits. Not only did neither of these end up genuine portraits, but I also spend two weeks each getting super obsessed. Valeria was supposed to be a fast thing, I wanted to call it finished and then decided it wasn't dark enough and reworked the entire piece for another week...

Anyways, I'm a starting out stipple tattoo artist and I genuinely fell in love with the look-

Don't be too hasty and just assume it's "ordinary" artwork, do me a favor and atleast full screen, zoom in once, until you see the dots and appreciate the full scope of it😅

Means a lot, thanks yall

I know that Originally, Howard simply wrote the stories, setting them at different points in Conan's history, but without a specific timeline in mind.But have fans or any publisher ever created a timeline of these stories?

I really liked this one. the version from chronicles of conan was ok, but not like the original and this version. It felt like an adventure. But, there was no hot chic in it.

Savage Sword of Conan Issue 8, October 1975. Cover by Frank Brunner and Bob Larkin, Frontispiece by Tony deZuniga. Interior art by Tim Conrad, Jess Jodloman, Bruce Jones, Gil Kane and Yong Montano.

Source: Imaginistix.

Saw this answer to a question about adapting pastiche in SSOC #15. I think it’s referring to this story by John C. Hocking because it has to do with addiction, but I could be wrong. I've never read the book.

Cover by Boris Vallejo, Frontispiece by Vicente Alcazar. Interior art by John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala, story by Roy Thomas, pinups by Mike Vasburg and Gray Morrow.

Jim_Zub posted the original artwork here. I thought it would make a great desktop wallpaper, so here it is.

The movie was probably my first introduction to Conan the barbarian. Being a child born in the 80s I was raised on movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Saw this one on TV a lot as a child. So here’s some comic book love for the movie. The first ones were published by Marvel in 1982 the third is a second print variant cover for #1 of Titan current run of Conan the barbarian.

there is also a two part series for Conan the destroyer, but I don’t have those.

I believe the first two are done by John Basma. And the Titan one I think is just the movie poster used as a cover. I don’t think it was re-drawn.

Been drawing a lot ink ink lately, but decided to colour this digitally. Huge fan of the character.

Some info about Night Images. The very expensive book. Covers the unique to the book stuff. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2026/10/16/night-images-one-expensive-book-by-robert-e-howard/

Cover art by Frank Magsino and Alex Nino

I had been stalking my local comics shop knowing that they recently took in a large Conan lot from someone, waiting for their annual 40 percent off back issues sale. I had the place scouted beforehand to know where everything was and to make sure conditions were good (everything here is in great reader grade condition, which is what I go after) and was one of the first in the building yesterday when the sale got going. I got everything on my list I needed. Most issues were right at $2 a piece.

I went wild - I got right around 150 issues. Couldn't resist though, the prices and conditions were great so I wanted to take advantage of it! I regret nothing!

Looking forward to listening to Crawler in the Mist to hear what that recording was like!

You know it’s a good haul when the shop employees were cheering me on! Between this and what I already had, I now have about 70 percent of the Roy Thomas CTB run!

RIP Spanish artist Sanjulián (Manuel Pérez Clemente) who has left us at the age of 85.

We lost one of the GREATS

Here are the first images from the second story in DiGelsomina’s Warrior Angel Saga, entitled “The Bride”. The first story in the series, “Shadows of Nyarlathotep” has raised interest by combining swords and sorcery with extreme horror. Illustrations by renowned horror artist DW Frydendall, stories written by composer/horror author DiGelsomina. Both stories will be published early 2027.