Savage Sword of Conan

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Savage Sword of Conan
Cover of The Savage Sword of Conan #1 (Aug. 1974).
Art by Boris Vallejo
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
Publication dateAugust 1974 – July 1995
No. of issues235
Main character(s)
Creative team
Written by
List
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)
List
Editor(s)Roy Thomas

The Savage Sword of Conan was a black-and-white magazine-format

Curtis Magazines, an imprint of American company Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself.[1] Savage Sword of Conan starred Robert E. Howard's most famous creation, Conan the Barbarian
, and has the distinction of being the longest-surviving title of the short-lived Curtis imprint.

As a "magazine", Savage Sword of Conan did not have to conform to the

Walter Simonson. Painted covers were provided by such artists as Earl Norem, Bob Larkin, Joe Jusko, and Boris Vallejo
.

Savage Sword of Conan was published under the Curtis imprint until issue 60, when it became part of the

Marvel Magazine Group. Stories from the comic were reprinted in the Marvel UK title of the same name.[2]
The original run of Savage Sword of Conan ran until issue #235 (July 1995).

Marvel Comics reacquired the publishing rights in 2018, and started a new run of Savage Sword of Conan collected editions beginning in February 2019. In 2022, Titan Comics acquired the license to reprint the magazine in new collected editions.


In April 2019, Marvel also started a new run of Savage Sword of Conan with new material. This title ran for 12 issues until February 2020.

Publication history

The adventures in Savage Sword of Conan are not always consecutive (as they are in the color Marvel title Conan the Barbarian), and they cover different eras of Conan's life. The Savage Sword stories mostly feature an older Conan, and adapt Robert E. Howard stories and pastiches starting from "Black Colossus" (according to the Miller/Clark chronology), thus following the Roy Thomas stories in Conan the Barbarian.

The first issue leads off with Thomas and

A Witch Shall Be Born
". This story features Conan at his most resilient, surviving a desert crucifixion to get revenge on the man who put him there.

Issues #6-10 included "People of the Dark", a 30-page tale scripted by Thomas and drawn by

Iron Shadows in the Moon
", by Buscema and Alcala, where Conan goes from chief of the Zuagirs to pirate captain of the Red Brotherhood.

The next three years of the title featured numerous adaptations of Howard stories (many by the art team of Buscema and Alcala), including "

The Treasure of Tranicos", and "Wolves Beyond the Border
".

Collected editions

In 2007, Dark Horse Comics began issuing a series of trade paperbacks, collecting and reprinting early issues of the title, as well as stories which originally appeared in Savage Tales. By 2016, the complete series had been reprinted in 22 volumes.[3] In 2018 when Marvel resumed the rights it began publishing its own collected editions of original Marvel material. In 2022, Titan Comics acquired the license to reprint the magazine in new collected editions.[4]

Marvel Omnibus Collected Editions

Title Collects Story Art Published ISBN
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 1 Savage Tales (1971) #1-5

Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #1 - #12

Savage Sword Of Conan Special (1975) #1

Roy Thomas Barry Windsor-Smith

John Buscema

2019 ISBN 9781302915322
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 2 Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #13 - #28

Marvel Comics Super Special (1977) #2

Roy Thomas John Buscema 2019 ISBN 9781302915162
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 3 Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #29 - #44

Marvel Comics Super Special (1977) #9

Roy Thomas John Buscema

Sal Buscema

Ernie Chan

2020 ISBN 9781302922429
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 4 Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #45 - #60 Roy Thomas John Buscema 2021 ISBN 9781302922443
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 5 Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #61 - #72 Michael Fleischer

Roy Thomas

Bruce Jones

John Buscema

Gil Kane

Ernie Chan

2021 ISBN 9781302926564
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 6 Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #73 - #87

Marvel Comics Super Special #21

Michael Fleischer

Roy Thomas

John Buscema

Alfredo Alcala

Val Mayerik

Gil Kane

2022 ISBN 9781302926946
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 7 Savage Sword Of Conan (1974) #88 - #101 Michael Fleischer John Buscema 2022 ISBN 9781302934309
Savage Sword Of Conan: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 8 Savage Sword of Conan (1974) #102-116

Marvel Comics Super Special (1977) #35

2022 ISBN 978-1302934903

Awards

The comic won the "Comic" British Fantasy Award in 1975 and 1976.[5]

See also

Notes

  1. .
  2. ^ Savage Sword of Conan (Marvel UK) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
  3. ^ Savage Sword of Conan (Dark Horse Comics) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
  4. ^ "Titan Publishing New Editions of Conan Omnibi". icv2.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  5. ^ Edwards, Jan. "The British Fantasy Awards: a Short History". (with additions from) David Sutton. Retrieved 14 October 2009.

References