Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian | |
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First appearance | Weird Tales (December 1932) |
Created by | Robert E. Howard |
Portrayed by |
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Voiced by |
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In-universe information | |
Species | Human |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Current: King Former: Adventurer Pirate Warrior Slave Gladiator Thief |
Religion | Worship of Cimmerian |
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional
The earliest appearance of a Robert E. Howard character named Conan was that of a black-haired barbarian with heroic attributes in the 1931 short story "People of the Dark". By 1932, Howard had fully conceptualized Conan. Before his death, Howard had written 21 stories starring the barbarian. Over the years many other writers have written works featuring Conan.
Many Conan the Barbarian stories feature Conan embarking on heroic adventures filled with common fantasy elements such as princesses and wizards. Howard's
Licensed comics published in the 1970s by Marvel Comics drew further popularity to the character, introducing the now iconic image of Conan in his loincloth. The most popular cinematic adaptation is the 1982 film, Conan the Barbarian directed by John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, in which the plot revolves around Conan facing the villainous Thulsa Doom.
Publication history
Robert E. Howard created Conan the Barbarian in a series of fantasy stories published in Weird Tales from 1932.
In February 1932, Howard vacationed at a border town on the lower
Having digested these influences upon returning from his trip, Howard rewrote a rejected story, "By This Axe I Rule!" (May 1929), replacing his existing character Kull of Atlantis with his new hero and re-titling it "The Phoenix on the Sword". Howard also wrote "The Scarlet Citadel" and "The Frost-Giant's Daughter", inspired by the Greek myth of Daphne,[citation needed] and submitted both stories to Weird Tales magazine. Although "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" was rejected, the magazine accepted "The Phoenix on the Sword" after it received the requested polishing, and published it in the December 1932 issue. "The Scarlet Citadel" was published the following month.[2]
"The Phoenix on the Sword" appeared in Weird Tales
The publication and success of "The Tower of the Elephant" spurred Howard to write more Conan stories for Weird Tales. By the time of Howard's suicide in 1936, he had written 21 complete stories, 17 of which had been published, as well as multiple unfinished fragments.[2]
Following Howard's death, the copyright of the Conan stories passed through several hands. Eventually L. Sprague de Camp was entrusted with management of the fiction line and, beginning with 1967's Conan released by Lancer Books, oversaw a paperback series collecting all of Howard's stories (Lancer folded in 1973 and Ace Books picked up the line, reprinting the older volumes with new trade dress and continuing to release new ones). Howard's original stories received additional edits by de Camp, and de Camp also decided to create additional Conan stories to publish alongside the originals, working with Björn Nyberg and especially Lin Carter. These new stories were created from a mixture of already-complete Howard stories with different settings and characters that were altered to feature Conan and the Hyborian setting instead, incomplete fragments and outlines for Conan stories that were never completed by Howard, and all-new pastiches. Lastly, de Camp created prefaces for each story, fitting them into a timeline of Conan's life that he created.
For roughly 40 years, the original versions of Howard's Conan stories remained out of print. In 1977, the publisher Berkley Books issued three volumes using the earliest published form of the texts from Weird Tales and thus no de Camp edits, with Karl Edward Wagner as series editor, but these were halted by action from de Camp before the remaining three intended volumes could be released. In the 1980s and 1990s, the copyright holders permitted Howard's stories to go out of print entirely as the public demand for sword & sorcery dwindled, but continued to release the occasional new Conan novel by other authors such as Leonard Carpenter, Roland Green, and Harry Turtledove.[citation needed]
In 2000, the British publisher Gollancz Science Fiction issued a two-volume, complete edition of Howard's Conan stories as part of its Fantasy Masterworks imprint, which included several stories that had never seen print in their original form. The Gollancz edition mostly used the versions of the stories as published in Weird Tales.[5]
The two volumes were combined and the stories restored to chronological order as The Complete Chronicles of Conan: Centenary Edition (Gollancz Science Fiction, 2006; edited and with an Afterword by Steve Jones).
In 2003, another British publisher, Wandering Star Books,[6] made an effort both to restore Howard's original manuscripts and to provide a more scholarly and historical view of the Conan stories. It published hardcover editions in England, which were republished in the United States by the Del Rey imprint of Ballantine Books. The first book, Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932–1933) (2003; published in the US as The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian) includes Howard's notes on his fictional setting as well as letters and poems concerning the genesis of his ideas. This was followed by Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Two (1934) (2004; published in the US as The Bloody Crown of Conan) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Three (1935–1936) (2005; published in the US as The Conquering Sword of Conan). These three volumes include all the original Conan stories.
Setting
The stories occur in the fictional "
Howard invented the Hyborian Age as a useful literary device. He had an intense love for history and historical dramas, but he also recognized the difficulties and the time-consuming research work needed in maintaining historical accuracy. Also, the poorly-stocked libraries in the rural part of Texas where Howard lived didn't have the material needed for such research. By conceiving a fictional "vanished age" and choosing names that resembled historical ones, Howard avoided anachronisms and the need for lengthy exposition.[2]
According to "The Phoenix on the Sword", the adventures of Conan take place "Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas."[8]
Personality and character
Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
Conan is a
A conspicuous element of Conan's character is his chivalry. He is extremely reluctant to fight women (even when they fight him) and has a strong tendency to save a damsel in distress. In "Jewels of Gwahlur", he has to make a split-second decision whether to save the dancing girl Muriela or the chest of priceless gems which he spent months in search of. So, without hesitation, he rescues Muriela and allows for the treasure to be irrevocably lost. In "The Black Stranger", Conan saves the exile Zingaran Lady Belesa at considerable risk to himself, giving her as a parting gift his fortune in gems big enough to have a comfortable and wealthy life in Zingara, while asking for no favors in return. Reviewer Jennifer Bard also noted[12] that when Conan is in a pirate crew or a robber gang led by another male, his tendency is to subvert and undermine the leader's authority, and eventually supplant (and often, kill) him (e.g. "Pool of the Black One", "A Witch Shall be Born", "Shadows in the Moonlight"). Conversely, in "Queen of the Black Coast", it is noted that Conan "generally agreed to Belit's plan. Hers was the mind that directed their raids, his the arm that carried out her ideas. It was a good life." And at the end of "Red Nails", Conan and Valeria seem to be headed towards a reasonably amicable piratical partnership.
Appearance
Conan has "sullen", "smoldering", and "volcanic" blue eyes with a black "square-cut mane". Howard once describes him as having a hairy chest and, while comic book interpretations often portray Conan as wearing a loincloth or other minimalist clothing to give him a more barbaric image, Howard describes the character as wearing whatever garb is typical for the kingdom and culture in which Conan finds himself. Howard never gave a strict height or weight for Conan in a story, only describing him in loose terms like "giant" and "massive".[13] In the tales, no human is ever described as being stronger than Conan, although few are mentioned as taller (including the strangler, Baal-Pteor) or of larger bulk. In a letter to P. Schuyler Miller and John D. Clark in 1936, only three months before Howard's death, Conan is described as standing 6 ft/183 cm and weighing 180 pounds (82 kg) when he takes part in an attack on Venarium at only 15 years old, though being far from fully grown. At one point, when he is meeting Juma in Kush, he describes Conan as tall as his friend, at nearly 7 ft. in height. Conan himself says in "Beyond the Black River" that he had "not yet seen 15 snows". at the Battle of Venarium. "At Vanarium he was already a formidable antagonist, though only fifteen, He stood six feet tall [1.83 m] and weighed 180 pounds [82 kg], though he lacked much of having his full growth." Although Conan is muscular, Howard frequently compares his agility and way of moving to that of a panther (see, for instance, "
During his reign as king of Aquilonia, Conan was[excessive quote]
[...] a tall man, mightily shouldered and deep of chest, with a massive corded neck and heavily muscled limbs. He was clad in silk and velvet, with the royal lions of Aquilonia worked in gold upon his rich jupon, and the crown of Aquilonia shone on his square-cut black mane; but the great sword at his side seemed more natural to him than the regal accoutrements. His brow was low and broad, his eyes a volcanic blue that smoldered as if with some inner fire. His dark, scarred, almost sinister face was that of a fighting-man, and his velvet garments could not conceal the hard, dangerous lines of his limbs.[14]
Howard
Abilities
Despite his brutish appearance, Conan uses his brains as well as his brawn. The
Another noticeable trait is his sense of humor, largely absent in the comics and movies, but very much a part of Howard's original vision of the character (particularly apparent in "
He is a loyal friend to those true to him, with a barbaric code of conduct that often marks him as more honorable than the more sophisticated people he meets in his travels. Indeed, his straightforward nature and barbarism are constants in all the tales.
Conan is a formidable combatant both armed and unarmed. With his back to the wall, Conan is capable of engaging and killing opponents by the score. This is seen in several stories, such as "
Influences
Howard frequently corresponded with
Original Robert E. Howard Conan stories
Conan stories published in Weird Tales
- "The Phoenix on the Sword" (novelette; vol. 20, #6, December 1932)
- "The Scarlet Citadel" (novelette; vol. 21, #1, January 1, 1933)
- "The Tower of the Elephant" (novelette; vol. 21, #3, March 1933)
- "Black Colossus" (novelette; vol. 21, #6, June 1933)
- "The Slithering Shadow" (novelette; vol. 22, #3, September 1933, alternate title "Xuthal of the Dusk")
- "The Pool of the Black One" (novelette; vol. 22, #4, October 1933)
- "Rogues in the House" (novelette; vol. 23, #1, January 1934)
- "Iron Shadows in the Moon" (novelette; vol. 23, #4, April 1934, published as "Shadows in the Moonlight")
- "Queen of the Black Coast" (novelette; vol. 23, #5, May 1934)
- "The Devil in Iron" (novelette; vol. 24, #2, August 1934)
- "The People of the Black Circle" (novella; vol. 24, #3–5, September–November 1934)
- "A Witch Shall Be Born" (novelette; vol. 24, #6, December 1934)
- "Jewels of Gwahlur" (novelette; vol. 25, #3, March 1935, author's original title "The Servants of Bit-Yakin")
- "Beyond the Black River" (novella; vol. 25, #5–6, May–June 1935)
- "Shadows in Zamboula" (novelette; vol. 26, #5, November 1935, author's original title "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula")
- "The Hour of the Dragon" (novel; vol. 26, #6 & vol. 27, #1–4, December 1935, January–April 1936)
- "Red Nails" (novella; vol. 28, #1–3, July, September, October 1936)
Conan stories published in Fantasy Fan magazine
- "Gods of the North" (March 1934) – published as The Frost-Giant's Daughter in The Coming of Conan, 1953.[16]
Conan stories not published in Howard's lifetime
- "The God in the Bowl" – Published in Space Science Fiction, Sep. 1952.
- "The Black Stranger" – Published in Fantasy Magazine, Feb. 1953.
- "The Vale of Lost Women" – Published in The Magazine of Horror, Spring 1967.
Unfinished Conan stories by Howard
- "The Conan the Adventurer, 1966.
- "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1967.
- "Conan, 1967.
- "The Snout in the Dark" – Fragment. Published in Conan of Cimmeria, 1969.
A number of untitled synopses for Conan stories also exist.
- "Wolves Beyond the Border" – A non-Conan story set in Conan's world. Fragment. Published in 1967 in Conan the Usurper
- "The Hyborian Age" – An essay written in 1932. Published in 1938 in The Hyborian Age.
- "Cimmeria" – A poem written in 1932. Published in 1965 in The Howard Collector.
Book editions
The character of Conan has proven durably popular, resulting in Conan stories by later writers such as Poul Anderson, Leonard Carpenter, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, Roland J. Green, John C. Hocking, Robert Jordan, Sean A. Moore, Björn Nyberg, Andrew J. Offutt, Steve Perry, John Maddox Roberts, Harry Turtledove, and Karl Edward Wagner. Some of these writers have finished incomplete Conan manuscripts by Howard. Others were created by rewriting Howard stories which originally featured entirely different characters from entirely different milieus. Most, however, are completely original works. In total, more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories featuring the Conan character have been written by authors other than Howard.
The
The Lancer/Ace editions (1966–1977), under the direction of de Camp and Lin Carter, were the first comprehensive paperbacks, compiling the material from the Gnome Press series together in a chronological order with all the remaining original Howard material, including that left unpublished in his lifetime and fragments and outlines. These were completed by de Camp and Carter. The series also included Howard stories originally featuring other protagonists that were rewritten by de Camp as Conan stories. New Conan stories written entirely by de Camp and Carter were added as well. Lancer Books went out of business before bringing out the entire series, the publication of which was completed by Ace Books. Eight of the eventual twelve volumes published featured dynamic cover paintings by Frank Frazetta that, for many fans,[who?] presented the definitive, iconic impression of Conan and his world. For decades to come, most other portrayals of the Cimmerian and his imitators were heavily influenced by the cover paintings of this series.[citation needed]
Most editions after the Lancer/Ace series have been of either the original Howard stories or Conan material by others, but not both. The exception are the Ace Maroto editions (1978–1981), which include both new material by other authors and older material by Howard, though the latter are some of the non-Conan tales by Howard rewritten as Conan stories by de Camp. Notable later editions of the original Howard Conan stories include the Donald M. Grant editions (1974–1989, incomplete); Berkley editions (1977); Gollancz editions (2000–2006), and Wandering Star/Del Rey editions (2003–2005). Later series of new Conan material include the Bantam editions (1978–1982) and Tor editions (1982–2004).
Conan chronologies
In an attempt to provide a coherent timeline which fit the numerous adventures of Conan penned by Robert E. Howard and later writers, various "Conan chronologies" have been prepared by many people from the 1930s onward. Note that no consistent timeline has yet accommodated every single Conan story. The following are the principal theories that have been advanced over the years.
- Miller/Clark chronology – A Probable Outline of Conan's Career (1936) was the first effort to put the tales in chronological order. Completed by P. Schuyler Miller and John Drury Clark, the chronology was later revised by Clark and L. Sprague de Camp in An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian (1952).
- Robert Jordan chronology – A Conan Chronology by Robert Jordan (1987) was a new chronology written by Conan writer Robert Jordan that included all written Conan material up to that point. It was heavily influenced by the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronologies, though it departed from them in a number of idiosyncratic instances.
- William Galen Gray chronology – Timeline of Conan's Journeys (1997, rev. 2004), was fan William Galen Gray's attempt to create "a chronology of all the stories, both Howard and pastiche." Drawing on the earlier Miller/Clark and Jordan chronologies, it represents the ultimate expression of their tradition to date.
- Joe Marek chronology – Joe Marek's chronology is limited to stories written (or devised) by Howard, though within that context it is essentially a revision of the Miller/Clark tradition to better reflect the internal evidence of the stories and avoid forcing Conan into what he perceives as a "mad dash" around the Hyborian world within timeframes too rapid to be credible.
- Dark Horse comic seriesfollows this chronology.
Media
Films
Schwarzenegger as Conan (1980s)
The very first Conan cinematic project was planned by
The plot of Conan the Barbarian (1982) begins with Conan being enslaved by the Vanir raiders of
This film was followed by a less popular sequel,
The third film in the Conan trilogy was planned for 1987 to be titled Conan the Conqueror. The director was to be either Guy Hamilton or John Guillermin. Since Arnold Schwarzenegger was committed to the film Predator and De Laurentiis's contract with the star had expired after his obligation to Red Sonja and Raw Deal, he wasn't keen to negotiate a new one; thus the third Conan film sank into development hell. The script was eventually turned into Kull the Conqueror.
Momoa as Conan (2011)
There were rumors in the late 1990s of another Conan sequel, a story about an older Conan titled King Conan: Crown of Iron, but Schwarzenegger's election in 2003 as governor of
Unproduced: Legend of Conan
In 2012, producers
She Is Conann
In 2023, French film director Bertrand Mandico released She Is Conann, a gender-flipped version of Conan the Barbarian which stars five different actresses playing a female Conann at different stages in her life.[31]
Television
There have been three television series related to Conan:
- animated television series produced by Jetlag Productions and Sunbow Productions that debuted on September 13, 1992, ran for 65 episodes and concluded on November 23, 1993. The series involved Conan chasing Serpent Menacross the world in an attempt to release his parents from eternal imprisonment as living statues.
- DiC Entertainment produced the show and CBSaired this series as a spin-off to the previous animated series. This cartoon took place after the finale of Conan the Adventurer with Wrath-Amon vanquished and Conan's family returned to life from living stone. Conan soon finds that the family of one of his friends are being turned into wolves by an evil sorceress and he must train three warriors in order to aid him in rescuing them.
- Ralf Möller as Conan, Danny Woodburn(Otli), Robert McRay (Zzeben), and TJ Storm (Bayu) as his sidekicks. The storyline was quite different from the Conan lore of Howard. In this adaptation, Conan is a pleasant and jovial person. Also in this version, Conan is not a loner but one member of a merry band of adventurers.
- In September 2020, it was announced that Netflix will develop a new Conan TV series as a part of a larger deal involving Fredrik Malmberg and Mark Wheeler from Pathfinder Media[note 1] between Netflix and Conan Properties International, owned by Cabinet Entertainment, for the exclusive rights to the Conan library for the rights for live-action and animated films and TV shows.[32] Deadline had previously reported that a Conan show was in the works at Amazon Prime,[33] but nothing came of it.[34]
Comics
Conan the Barbarian has appeared in comics nearly non-stop since 1970. The comics are arguably, apart from the books, the vehicle that had the greatest influence on the longevity and popularity of the character. The earliest comic book adaptation of Conan was written in Spanish and first published in Mexico in the fifties. This version, which was done without authorization from the estate of Robert E. Howard, is loosely based on the short story
Barack Obama, former President of the United States, is a fan of the character and collects Conan the Barbarian comic books.[37] Obama also appeared as a character in a comic book called Barack the Barbarian from Devil's Due.[38][39]
The Marvel Conan stories were also adapted as a newspaper comic strip which appeared daily and Sunday from 4 September 1978 to 12 April 1981. Originally written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by John Buscema, the strip was continued by several different Marvel artists and writers.
A second series,
Dark Horse's third series,
A fourth series, Conan the Barbarian, began in February 2012 by
A fifth series, Conan the Avenger, began in April 2014 by
Dark Horse's sixth series, Conan the Slayer, began in July 2016 by Cullen Bunn (writer) and Sergio Dávila (artist).
In 2018, Marvel reacquired the rights and started new runs of both Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan in January/February 2019. Conan is also a lead in the Savage Avengers title, which launched in 2019 and received a second volume in 2022.
In 2022, it was revealed that Titan Publishing Group had acquired the rights from Heroic Signatures to make Conan comics, with a new ongoing series set to release in May 2023.[40]
Games
Board games
- In 2009, Fantasy Flight Games released the Age of Conan strategy board game, depicting warfare between the Hyborian nations in the Conan's adventures.
- In 2016, Monolith Board Games LLC released a new boardgame with miniatures directly based on Howard's short stories. Conan (previously known as Conan: Hyborian Quests) pits one player, controlling the evil forces, against 2-4 other players controlling Conan and his companions.
Collectible card games
- In 2006, Comic Images released the Conan Collectible Card Game designed by Jason Robinette.
Play-by-mail games
- Hyborian War, introduced by Reality Simulations, Inc. as of 1985,[41] is a play-by-mail game set in the Hyborian Age.
Role-playing games
- Two modules for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons:
- CB1 Conan Unchained! (1984)
- CB2 Conan Against Darkness! (1984)
- The Conan Role-Playing Game (1985), with 3 official game adventures:
- CN1 Conan the Buccaneer(1985)
- CN2 Conan the Mercenary(1985)
- CN3 Conan Triumphant(1985)
- CN1
- Three Endless Quest books by TSR, published in the eighties, allow the reader to play the role of Conan (Conan the Undaunted, Conan and the Prophecy & Conan the Outlaw)
In 1988 Steve Jackson Games acquired a Conan license and started publishing Conan solo adventures for its GURPS generic system of rules as of 1988 and a GURPS Conan core rulebook in 1989:
- GURPS Conan: Beyond Thunder River (1988, solo adventure)
- GURPS Conan (1989, core rulebook)
- GURPS Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast (1989, solo adventure)
- GURPS Conan: Moon of Blood (1989, solo adventure)
- GURPS Conan the Wyrmslayer (1989, solo adventure)
In 2003 the British company
- Conan: The Roleplaying Game (2004), with many supplements.
In 2010 Mongoose Publishing dropped the Conan license. In February 2015, another British company, Modiphius Entertainment, acquired the license, announcing plans to put out a new Conan role-playing game in August of that year.[43] Actually, the core rulebook was not launched (via Kickstarter) until a whole year later, in February 2016, reaching by far all funds needed for publication. Long after the Kickstarter ended the core rulebook was launched in PDF format on January 31, 2017. The physical core rulebook finally started distribution in June 2017:
- Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of (hardcover, 368 pages, 2017), with two hardcover supplements already published and at least 17 additional supplements in the works (as planned following the Kickstarter).
Video games
Nine
- In 1984, Atari 8-bit family, and Commodore 64.
- In 1991, System 3.
- In 1991, Conan: The Cimmerian for Amiga and IBM PC compatibles.
- In 2004, TDK Mediactive released Conan, a third-person action game for Windows and consoles.
- In 2007, .
- In 2008, Funcom released Age of Conan, a MMORPG, on May 20 in the US and May 23 in Europe.
- A RPG game titled Conan: The Tower of the Elephant was released for the iOS around the time of the release of the movie Conan the Barbarian as a promotion. The game is based on the short story of the same name.
- In 2013, the side-scrolling shooter game Broforce introduced a playable character known as Bronan the Brobarian. In the game, he is one of the few characters who doesn't fight with a firearm or an explosive. Instead, Bronan fights with a sword that can cause massive shockwaves depending on how long the player holds the attack button.
- On January 31, 2017, Funcom released PS4, Xbox One and PC. The title is an open world survival game. The game was released in early access, and was released on May 8, 2018.[44]
- In 2019, real time strategy game named Conan Unconquered.[45]
Characters
Prominent in prose fiction
- Bêlit – Self-styled Shemite Queen of the Black Coast, captain of the pirate ship Tigress, and Conan's first serious lover ("Queen of the Black Coast").
- Ctesphon - The king of Stygia is mentioned only once and in passing, in "The Phoenix on the Sword". He is a priest king, like Thugra-Khotan in the Stygian daughter-kingdom of Kutchemes.
- Thoth-Amon – Stygian wizard of great power who appeared in the first Conan story written ("The Phoenix on the Sword" and was mentioned in "The God in the Bowl" and The Hour of the Dragon. L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter made Thoth-Amon the nemesis of Conan. In the Marvel comics, Thoth-Amon was also Conan's lifelong opponent and had a striking appearance designed by Barry Windsor-Smith; he wore a distinctive ram-horn ornamental headdress. In "The Phoenix on the Sword" though, where Thoth has been robbed of his magical ring, he doesn't at all seem very impressive, yet less admirable. He is portrayed by Pat Roach in Conan the Destroyer.
- Valeria – Aquilonian female mercenary affiliated with the Red Brotherhood ("Red Nails").
- Yara – Evil wizard and adversary of Conan ("Ganesh.
- Yasmina- Brave, proud, feisty, wise, and warmhearted queen over the ancient kingdom of Vendhya, homeland and stronghold of Asura-worship.
- Zenobia – Aquilonia (The Hour of the Dragon).
Prominent in comic-book fiction
- sword-and-sorcery stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber. He is a mighty red-bearded Vanirwarrior and pirate captain. At first he and Conan are enemies, but they soon become allies after being shipwrecked.
- Jenna – (Marvel comics character). A dancing girl from the city of Shadizar. She becomes Conan's girlfriend after he saves her from a monstrous bat, but later betrays him to the authorities. Conan gets his revenge by throwing her into a pool of sewage. Based on an unnamed character in the prose story "Rogues in the House".
- Mikhal "the Vulture" Oglu – In Marvel comics' Conan the Barbarian #23, Mikhal Oglu is Yezdigerd's enforcer and the greatest swordsman in Turan. He challenges Conan but is defeated and his decapitated head is sent to Yezdigerd in an ornate casket intended for Conan's head. He was inspired by a character in a non-Conan story by Robert E. Howard ("The Shadow of the Vulture").
- Kulan Gath - a prominent evil wizard appearing initially in the Marvel Conan comics and later fully integrated into the Marvel Universe. He has also appeared in Red Sonya comics by Dynamite Entertainment.
- Red Sonja – An Hyrkanian warrior created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith for the Conan comics. She was based on the Howard character, Red Sonya of Rogatino, who appeared in "The Shadow of the Vulture", a novella set in the 16th century.
- Yezdigerd – Ruler of Turan, a Turkish empire-based civilization. He employs Conan as a mercenary but betrays him after he outlived his usefulness
- Zukala – A character from the Conan comics published by Marvel, inspired by a poem by Robert E. Howard. Zukala is an evil sorcerer who gains his powers from a mask. His daughter, Zephra, falls in love with Conan.
- Melnibone who befriends Conan and unsuccessfully attempts to prevent Zephra's death. Based on the character created by Michael Moorcock.
Prominent in films
- Akiro – A character from the two Schwarzenegger Conan films. He is a powerful Mako Iwamatsu.
- Rexor – In the 1982 film, the chief priest of Thulsa Doom's snake cult, who stole the sword of Conan's father. Played by Ben Davidson.
- Subotai – Hyrkanian thief and archer. He is Conan's companion in the 1982 film. Played by Gerry Lopez.
- Malak – A thief. He is Conan's traveling companion in the 1984 sequel. Played by Tracey Walter.
- Thorgrim – Hammer-wielding minion of Thulsa Doom in the 1982 film. Played by Sven-Ole Thorsen
- necromancer from a King Kull story, a recurring villain in the Kull comics, and the antagonist in the 1982 film, played by James Earl Jones.
Copyright and trademark dispute
The name Conan and the names of some of Robert E. Howard's other characters are claimed as trademarked by Conan Properties International[46] and licensed to Cabinet Entertainment,[47] both entities controlled by CEO Fredrik Malmberg.[48]
Since Robert E. Howard's Conan stories were published at a time when the date of publication was the marker (1932–1963), however, and any new owners failed to renew them to maintain the copyrights,[49] the exact copyright status of all of Howard's 'Conan' works is in question.[50] The majority of Howard's Conan fiction exist in at least two versions, subject to different copyright standards, namely 1) the original Weird Tales publications before or shortly after Howard's death, which are generally understood to be public domain and 2) restored versions based upon manuscripts which were unpublished during Howard's lifetime.[51]
The Australian site of Project Gutenberg hosts digital copies of many of Howard's stories, including several works about Conan.[52]
In the United Kingdom, works are released into the public domain 70 years after the death of an author. With Howard having died in 1936, his works have been in the public domain there since 2006. The same standard applies for Malmberg's home country of Sweden.
In August 2018, Conan Properties International LLC won by default a suit against Spanish sculptor Ricardo Jove Sanchez after he failed to appear at court in the United States. Jove had started a crowdfunding campaign that raised around €3000 on Kickstarter, with the intent of selling barbarian figurines to online customers, including those in the United States. The Magistrate Judge originally recommended statutory damages for infringement on three Robert E. Howard characters not including Conan, but Jove was eventually fined $3,000 per character used in the campaign, including Conan, for a total of $21,000.[53]
In September 2020, it was announced that Netflix had made a larger deal involving Malmberg and Mark Wheeler from Pathfinder Media[note 1] between Netflix and Conan Properties International for the exclusive rights to the Conan library for the rights for live-action and animated films and TV shows.[32]
Notes
- ^ a b No relation to Paizo's flagship product, Pathfinder
References
- ^ Herron (1984). p. 149: "Robert E. Howard of Cross Plains, Texas, created one of the great mythic figures in modern popular culture, the Dark Barbarian... [which] put Howard in the select ranks of the literary legend-makers"
- ^ a b c d e f Louinet, pp. 429–453
- ^ "Hyborean Genesis: Notes on the Creation of the Conan Stories", by Patrice Louinet; in The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian, by Robert Ervin Howard, Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 2005, p. 424
- ^ Conversations with Texas Writers, by Frances Leonard and Ramona Cearley, University of Texas Press, 1 Jan 2010, p. 217
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Further reading
- Blosser, Fred (1997). "The Star Rover and "The People of the Night"". The Dark Man #4: 16–18.
- Herron, Don, ed. (2004). The Barbaric Triumph. Wildside Press. ISBN 978-0-8095-1566-0.
- Thomas, Roy (2006). Conan: The Ultimate guide to the world's most savage barbarian. DK Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7566-2095-0.
- Herron, Don, ed. (1984). The Dark Barbarian. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-23281-7.
- Louinet, Patrice, ed. (2003). The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-46151-3.
- Zelenetz, Alan (1986). The Official Handbook of the Conan Universe. Marvel Comics.