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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2018 1:42:58 GMT -5
I came across this on Facebook ERB F.A.N (Fan Art Network) group. Just from the glimpses in this sketchbook by Régis Moulun which he is offering on Amazon, it appears he could add much appeal for a new series of artwork set in the Hyborian Age. Thanks for video Chris. Some of Régis Moulun's art looks interesting.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2018 2:31:44 GMT -5
The repackaging could be something as simple as having the Greg Manchess cover like this one that's on the slipcase of the Wandering Star Edition: There's plenty of room for the text at the top and bottom of the cover painting. Have a new introduction, drop all draft versions, synopsis in the Miscellanae and the Appendices. I'd keep the letter to P. Schuyler Miller and Map of the Hyborian Age by REH. I'd also drop all the illustrations in the book and keep it old paperback size. It looks more appealing than the cropped artwork on the Del Rey cover. It'd look better face out on the shelves and on Amazon. You could do the same with the other volumes. I'd probably have Hour of the Dragon in a seperate volume with a Frazetta cover, and split the remaining stories into 2 or possibly 3 volumes, with Frazetta, Shultz and Gianni covers.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2018 3:13:19 GMT -5
The repackaging could be something as simple as having the Greg Manchess cover like this one that's on the slipcase of the Wandering Star Edition: That's better, although something a bit more dramatic might be more suitable for a cover. I agree about the cropped artwork; that yellow border round it isn't a good design. ...... Yeah, something a little more dramatic would be nice but I think Manchess don't seem to quite get those paintings right - just look at Conan's face in this one. Ideally, all the volumes should have the classic Frazetta covers.
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Oct 31, 2018 7:36:45 GMT -5
That's better, although something a bit more dramatic might be more suitable for a cover. I agree about the cropped artwork; that yellow border round it isn't a good design. ...... Ideally, all the volumes should have the classic Frazetta covers. Classic doesn't equal reboot, though, which is what I thought was driving this discussion. If only Frazetta is acceptable, then discussing other artists is obviously moot. Just seems we keep coming back to FF. No one will ever be his equal. His Conan is unsurpassed. Deep breath. Ok, move on. I'm not a big fan of those Manchess covers. They'd be fine as interior illos, but they're not vibrant enough in action and detail. For an example of such, reference, obviously, the aforementioned FF's Conan the Conqueror. Vibrant, pulsing, explosive, dynamic . . . I thought Régis Moulun's art was all of that. If he referenced FF's poses, he could have chose less wisely, IMO, who to imitate.
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Oct 31, 2018 10:36:04 GMT -5
Yes, they're just brief glimpses, agreed. And it was only a thought that, as I glimpsed them and saw the striking colors, the glint of an axe or burly figure, struck me as more dynamic than much of the newer stuff I've seen (IE the aforementioned which just look too washed-out to me to be galvanizing cover art, although, as stated, would make a fine fronticepiece or some such). But I don't think the answer is to continually regurgitate the same cover art, either. We can continue to compare modern artists' takes on Conan to Frazetta's--who may be the greatest conceptualizer of Conan that ever lived or ever will--but does that mean only Frazetta's Conan should be used? Because it is unequaled? So Moulun isn't the answer. It was a passing thought. We're talking pure hypothetical here at the moment, and the world is full of great artists, waiting to be discovered...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2018 12:27:16 GMT -5
I think, for me it's the actual content of the Del Rey books that do not seem inviting for a new reader with all the extras (fragments, drafts, synopsis, essays etc) that take up too many pages of the volumes.
Ideally, I suggest, a set of Conan Volumes with Frazetta covers makes more sense.
But, then again let's see what we get in the way of cover art with the first phase of upcoming pastiche novels. I believe there's enough talent out there it's finding it that has proved to be so elusive.
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Post by Monster on Nov 4, 2018 2:33:51 GMT -5
Yeah, something a little more dramatic would be nice but I think Manchess don't seem to quite get those paintings right - just look at Conan's face in this one. Ideally, all the volumes should have the classic Frazetta covers. I've never seen this. That's funny. It looks like Rocky Rambo Conan.
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Post by Sangria Sword on Feb 9, 2019 22:30:37 GMT -5
New additions of Robert E. Howard's works should have covers done by artists who further the appeal of Howard's works. Artists who have fresh takes on the characters, not Frazetta imitators. Frank Frazetta was arguably the greatest fantasy artist of Howard's work. But, it's time to move on.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Feb 9, 2019 23:43:03 GMT -5
I'd also argue that if they repackage the REH stories, this time around put them in chronological order. I like and agree whole heartedly with what Rusty Burke did for the Del Rey/Wandering Star editions, but this would help set the new editions apart. I'd go with Kripke's like Dark Horse did for the most part.
I'd agree with putting Hour of the Dragon out as its own book, too. That would be cool.
But what about the 5 (Counting Wolves Beyond the Border) fragments?
I think it would be neat to put them in the appropriate places chronologically in the collections but I'd also like to see the new pastiche writers have a crack at completing them.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Aug 17, 2019 7:17:13 GMT -5
"I love the Wandering Star/Del Rey Books, we finally got REH's Conan in 3 volumes without the interference of the pastiche work by De Camp et al; the way it should be . . .
"But, I think there is an obvious problem with the Del Rey Conan books; they're kinda inaccessable to the average reader, unless you're a fan of REH or Conan. I know that's partially the point of the Del Rey volumes, but there's an awful lot of clutter (please excuse the word) with the essays, fragments, synopsis' and even the spot illustrations at times can be off putting to the average reader. I think it's about time to repackage the Conan books.
"Here's some suggestions..." I like all of these suggestions as I think it is the Lancer/Ace series meets the purist Del Rey/Wandering Star series . . . kind of the best of both worlds. And, yes, you can never stop repackaging Conan because by publishing Conan anew, it helps capture a new audience. This is why Tarzan, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes, among others, are still being repackaged and published every now and then. Here is an additional idea of which I was wondering what others might think. When a character enters into popular culture, has an established canon, and a good volume of pastiche books, it is often the case an annotated edition is produced (not the cheap knock offs out there that are often labeled "annotated"). The idea would be for "The New Annotated Conan: The Complete Stories," something akin to the award-winning Sherlock Holmes annotated series: The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short StoriesThe annotations could include explanations, cross-references to other canon stories, historical notes, etc. The more I read, the more I see these types of articles on the Conan stories are out there, so I think the time is ripe to collect these all into an annotated series. As an annotated series is generally for those who have already experienced the canon, so this would not negate the need for a new series like the one described, just one more way to experience the Conan canon.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2019 13:52:47 GMT -5
"I love the Wandering Star/Del Rey Books, we finally got REH's Conan in 3 volumes without the interference of the pastiche work by De Camp et al; the way it should be . . .
"But, I think there is an obvious problem with the Del Rey Conan books; they're kinda inaccessable to the average reader, unless you're a fan of REH or Conan. I know that's partially the point of the Del Rey volumes, but there's an awful lot of clutter (please excuse the word) with the essays, fragments, synopsis' and even the spot illustrations at times can be off putting to the average reader. I think it's about time to repackage the Conan books.
"Here's some suggestions..." I like all of these suggestions as I think it is the Lancer/Ace series meets the purist Del Rey/Wandering Star series . . . kind of the best of both worlds. And, yes, you can never stop repackaging Conan because by publishing Conan anew, it helps capture a new audience. This is why Tarzan, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes, among others, are still being repackaged and published every now and then. Here is an additional idea of which I was wondering what others might think. When a character enters into popular culture, has an established canon, and a good volume of pastiche books, it is often the case an annotated edition is produced (not the cheap knock offs out there that are often labeled "annotated"). The idea would be for "The New Annotated Conan: The Complete Stories," something akin to the award-winning Sherlock Holmes annotated series: The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short StoriesThe annotations could include explanations, cross-references to other canon stories, historical notes, etc. The more I read, the more I see these types of articles on the Conan stories are out there, so I think the time is ripe to collect these all into an annotated series. As an annotated series is generally for those who have already experienced the canon, so this would not negate the need for a new series like the one described, just one more way to experience the Conan canon. Thanks for the link. Something along similar lines sounds like a good idea.
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Post by Char-Vell on Aug 22, 2019 13:56:49 GMT -5
I'd by the hell out of an annotated Conan.
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