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| Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CONAN PROPERTIES, Int. |
Young BARRY SMITH was still finding his own style 'on the hoof' with CONAN The BARBARIAN when he drew this page. Now and again there was still an occasional hint of JACK KIRBY in some panels, but that wasn't to last. JOHN BUSCEMA would have been the first artist on the mag had it not been for his higher page rate, but though he eventually came to draw more issues of Conan than Smith did, there was something about our boy Barry's pages that captured the sorcerous HYBORIAN AGE like no other artist ever could.
One of my favourite Conan stories - not a bad spalsh page as well
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly got atmosphere, PM. Smith was coming along in leaps and bounds.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned recently that Lair Of The Beast-Men was the first Conan story I ever read (in Savage Sword weekly #2). On first seeing that terrific splash page I assumed that the fight between Conan and the Beast-Man had taken place in Savage Sword #1 and I'd missed it ! The story is great too but it's sort of a rip-off of Planet Of The Apes, isn't it ? Conan/Taylor is captured by the Beast-Men/apes and taken to their city and he has to try and escape. I loved the image of the Beast-Men's underground city in a gigantic cave !
ReplyDeleteThe Beast-Man in that splash page was originally drawn as a bear, but it was amended because Stan (I think, could've been Martin Goodman), thought it would work better as a Beast-Man. I'd have to read the story again to see if there are any similarities to POTA, but creatures similar to the Beast-Men had long been (almost) a staple of comicbook stories, CJ.
ReplyDeleteI have still yet to read this story and I've really GOT to some time, because of its similarity to POTA. I really must track down a reprint! I'm going to look right now....
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to obtain a copy of Conan Classic #2 from eBay for a reasonable price, JP. It came out in 1994 and was a Marvel reprint of CTB #2.
ReplyDeleteI've found a TPB of the first 3 issues @ only £2-25!
DeleteI take it you'll be going for the one at £2, JP?
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favourite Barry Smith art works was the siege of Makalet Conan saga
ReplyDeleteDon't think I'm familiar with that one. What issue?
ReplyDeleteThe saga starts with Conan the Barbarian issue 19 although John B is the artist that finishes the saga.Its in this saga that we first get to see Red Sonja.
ReplyDeleteAh, I must have seen it then, but it doesn't spring immediately to mind. It'll be in my Dark Horse reprints.
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