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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2021 15:52:28 GMT -5
The 2nd volume is now available at Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/Barbarian-Life-Literary-Biography-Conan/dp/1683901819/www.amazon.com/Barbarian-Life-Literary-Biography-Conan/dp/1683901819/ Barbarian Life: A Literary Biography of Conan the Barbarian (Volume Two)Know Again, O Reader...
In thousands of four-color panels for Marvel Comics, Roy Thomas told the tale of Robert E. Howard’s greatest creation, Conan the Barbarian. Now, in this definitive biography and analysis, Roy chronicles Conan’s comic-book life, issue by issue, plot by plot, and artist by artist.
For ten years, from October 1970 when Roy and artist Barry Smith assembled the first issue of Marvel's Conan the Barbarian, to October 1980 when Roy and artist John Buscema completed their last issue together on the series, Thomas wrote of Conan's gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth—as well as the wars, the wenches, and the wizardry that bedeviled the Cimmerian from one issue to the next.
In this second of three volumes, Roy Thomas explains the creative process behind nearly 50 issues (#52–#100) of Conan the Barbarian. Roy talks about how he plotted and scripted each issue, devised new adventures for Conan that expanded Howard's original stories into a world-spanning epic, and worked with such Conan artists and inkers as John Buscema, Gil Kane, Ernie Chan, and George Roussos.
Whether you’re a Conan fan or a comics fan, you'll enjoy this in-depth look at a Marvel comic-book classic.Paperback: 292 pages Publisher: Pulp Hero Press (November 29, 2019) Language: English ISBN-10: 1683901819 ISBN-13: 978-1683901815 Picked up both volumes a couple of days back. A worthy addition to my collection, includes some nice interior art by Benito Gallego. |
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Post by terryallenuk on May 1, 2021 13:13:09 GMT -5
Volume 3 of Barbarian Life now out  |
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2021 13:35:51 GMT -5
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Post by danieljames495 on May 2, 2021 0:24:00 GMT -5
Gosh, Gallego's art is so similar to John Buscema.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2021 0:52:58 GMT -5
... a great post at DMR by our Deuce:  Roy Thomas at the grave of Robert E. Howard. June 11, 2021. Photo by John Cimino.That Time When Roy Thomas Influenced Conan the Buccaneer...Roy Thomas is the Guest of Honor at Howard Days this year. That makes his second round as GoH, with his first being during the REH Centennial in 2006…an honor that few others can claim. Roy deserves it. He fought to bring Robert E. Howard’s Conan to Marvel Comics. The resulting Conan the Barbarian became one of the best-selling comics in Marvel’s stable throughout the 1970s. It and The Savage Sword of Conan—also spearheaded by Roy—brought REH and Conan to new levels of pop culture recognition which exceeded that seen even by the Lancer Conans. My plan was to discuss all of those things with Roy this weekend, but vehicular travails prevented that.
I got to thank Roy for everything he'd done when I met him at Howard Days 2006. He brought me to Conan and REH with Conan the Barbarian #37, which I discuss in Robert E. Howard Changed My Life from Rogue Blades. Beyond what he did for me on a personal level, Roy Thomas did so much to get Howard and that 'Weird Tales vibe' out there during the 1970s.
First off, for those unaware of it, Roy--especially when he was editor-in-chief at Marvel from about 1972 to 1977--did a lot to work Howardian (and Lovecraftian) stuff into Marvel's 'mainstream' continuity. That's how 'Shuma-Gorath', originally just a name in 'The Curse of the Golden Skull', ended up as the 'boss' villain in that Doctor Strange movie a few years ago. There were various other things Thomas slipped in during his tenure that I won't go into now. Just in general, the entire Marvel line never had a more Howardian/pulp feel than when Thomas was in the driver's seat.
However, what I want to look at today is something Roy created for Marvel before Conan the Barbarian #1 was ever published. Here's the backstory:
In 1968, Stan Lee wrote a Sub-Mariner tale for Tales to Astonish #101. In it was an item created by Lee called 'The Helmet of Power'. This artifact was discovered in Antarctica in a city of 'the Ancients' by a man named Paul Destine. The helm enhanced any mental powers possessed by the wearer. Destine ended up fighting the Sub-Mariner but escaped.
By late 1968, the Sub-Mariner had his own comic--now written by Roy Thomas--and Destine returned as a foe, still wearing the Helmet of Power. Destine died and the Sub-Mariner took the helm back to his undersea city of Atlantis. There it was revealed that the somewhat lame-looking helm was actually the Serpent Crown encased in a protective covering. Freed from that casing, the (much more stylish) Crown's powers were much-increased and it also took malevolent control of the mind of the wearer. This is revealed in Sub-Mariner #9, which had a publication date of January, 1969.
In issue #9, it is revealed that the crown was taken to Antarctica by green-scaled 'Lemurians', an aquatic humanoid race found in the Pacific. The Lemurians are the 'Ancients' referred to by Stan Lee.
Here is a description of the powers of the Crown, courtesy of Wikipedia:
"Those powers [of the Serpent Crown] confer on the helmet's wearer various abilities. These abilities can include superhuman strength, the power to read and control the minds of others, the power to levitate oneself and/or other persons and objects, the ability to cast illusions, the power to project destructive bolts of mystical energy and even the mental ability to manipulate matter and energy."
So, a wildly-powerful, mind-controlling ophidian crown/helmet, created ages ago by green-scaled humanoids...which artifact debuted in January of 1969.Wanna read more? dmrbooks.com/test-blog/2021/6/11/that-time-when-roy-thomas-influenced-conan-the-buccaneer |
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Post by terryallenuk on Jan 16, 2023 2:05:12 GMT -5
John Cimino , Roy's manager has posted this on Facebook So many people have been contacting me about Roy's upcoming 2023 appearances. His demand has been insane (my apologies to all the shows we had to turn down, especially overseas). We start up in March and April with these four incredible shows! We hope to see you there. BOOM!! planetcomicon.combigapplecc.compwrshows.comwww.hsvexpo.com |
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Post by terryallenuk on Sept 6, 2023 12:43:31 GMT -5
Roy talks through CtB 23/24
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Post by irondavith on Sept 7, 2023 8:25:15 GMT -5
Roy talks through CtB 23/24 Cool, thanks! |
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Post by terryallenuk on Jul 4, 2024 2:59:47 GMT -5
Roy Thomas & J. David Spurlock in Dallas July 13/14, 2024
Award-winning author-historian J. David Spurlock is appearing as a guest, July 13-14 at Retro Expo in Dallas/Plano where he will also head the panel appearance of legendary Marvel comics writer Roy Thomas — a reunion for the two, who first met in exactly 50 years ago. The two have worked on a number of projects together over the decades and both have Robert E. Howard connections. Spurlock last interviewed Thomas at Howard Days, for the upcoming documentary on Wallace Wood.
For more info see retroexpo.com
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