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| Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CPI |
Collectors are a strange breed, aren't we? For instance, despite owning at least three or four reprints in various books and/or magazines of Conan The Barbarian #25, I recently bought the actual original issue from 1973. John Buscema had been first choice for Marvel's new title back in 1970, but he was on a higher page rate than some other artists at the House Of Ideas, so the gig went to newbie Barry Smith instead of Big John. CTB must've been selling well by the time Buscema took over the reins with its 25th ish, making it viable for Marvel to pay his higher rate per page, as I doubt he would've worked for less.
Anyway, I decided to buy it, as John Buscema's first ever Conan mag is a true collectors' item and it now resides in the caverns of Castel Crivens. Being the generous sort of guy I am, I elected to share some of the images from my new acquisition with the rest of you, 'cos I like to spread joy and happiness amongst ordinary mortals other people. (Someone once said I can do that just by leaving a room - what on earth could they mean?) Anyway, scanned specially for you, here are some pages from John B's Conan debut. I've also included John Severin's Kull flashback pages (I think he inked over Buscema's pencilled layouts), as they're absolutely exquisite - so get stuck in, then let's hear (read) your thoughts!
