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Post by robp on Feb 28, 2018 4:58:51 GMT -5
Interesting take on the history of Conan, pastiches, adaptations, etc. Don;t agree with everything he says (the comics in particular) but he makes some good points
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Post by kemp on Mar 1, 2018 8:45:02 GMT -5
I agree with parts of his assessment, and I disagree with some of the things said. The Conan cartoon was a piece of shit, most of us would agree to that.
The film Conan the Barbarian still holds up as the quintessential 1980’s sword and sorcery movie. True, it was loosely based on the REH original, but it was the first, and in my opinion, still the best screen adaptation of the character.
Mention was made of Marvel and the comic code requirements, ‘all lurid, unsavoury, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated’, ‘scenes dealing with…vampirism, ghouls…and werewolfism, are prohibited’, ‘love-romance stories shall emphasize…the sanctity of marriage’, and of how Marvel was forced to portray Conan as a positive role model.
I think this guy has never read a Marvel comic in his life. If he did he would know that Marvel produced titles such as Savage Sword of Conan which was not bound by a comics code, it was actually called a magazine, and Conan fought vampires, ghouls and werewolves, and wenched to the brim, plenty of sex and violence.
Yes, L Sprague de Camp adapted and revised some of REH’s material, but the Ace/Sphere/Lancer paperbacks probably introduced a lot of new readers to REH and Conan, and like many others, I read those books after the comics.
In the youtube some of Frazetta’s depictions are shown over the voice over critique, suggestion that these depictions helped to skewer the image of Conan, but I think that was unfair since Frazetta’s art also helped to sell the Ace books.
As for showing us Game of Thrones, like it is some kind of benchmark for good sword and sorcery, well……………..
I eventually read the original unrevised stories available these days by the energetic and brilliant writer that was REH. Seems that after all this time REH has received the due recognition that was owed him. That is good.
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