05/13/2026
10: TEN COMIC BOOK SERIES THAT DIDN’T CHANGE MY LIFE DURING THE 1970s… BUT WHICH STILL DESERVE SOME ATTENTION
Conan the Barbarian (1970-1983)
Marvel Comics Group
For the final installment of this “ten best” series, I hemmed and hawed at this inclusion, but decided to finally include it even though there were many, far better 1970s titles that helped shape the evolution of the comics medium in the years to follow. Much like The Shadow, it was the comic book’s source material that ultimately had a greater impact on me as a child, and not Marvel’s 1970s interpretation (aside from some earlier, particularly exceptional efforts). Unlike the enigmatic pre- and post-WWII era vigilante who continues to captivate me to this day, I still have mixed feelings for Conan, even though the character’s illustrated exploits helped open me up to the world of fantasy/sword-and-sorcery fiction that would dominate my interests in later childhood.
During the late-1970s, I found myself becoming increasingly bored with the mainstream’s progressively dismal offerings of horror fare, my first-love. Likewise, science fiction had shifted from thought-provoking visions of the future to more action-oriented space operas popularized by the likes of Star Wars and its coat-riding ilk. (Not to dis The Force, as Lucas’ films provided an amazing update of the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials that enraptured me as a young sci-fi fan.) So, for a few short years, I became enthralled by the more visceral, fantastical adventures of pulp-inspired sword and sorcery. (I was already a fan--being weened on the theatrical exploits of Hercules, Sinbad, and Jason of the Argonauts--so Conan was something of a worthy successor.) Since my expectations were not particularly high, I could more easily enjoy battles between resourceful barbarians and cocky sorcerers or bloodthirsty abominations, without putting too much stock into such minor details like motivation or consequence.
I was introduced to Conan’s existence via a comic book adaptation I bought during these years that featured Robert E. Howard’s Hyperborean adventurer in Marvel Comics Super Special #2, published in 1977. I distinctly remember buying this magazine on a lark from Adam’s Grocery, one of the three local outlets I relied upon for current comics. Most importantly, this was during a time I found myself enthralled with the fantasy genre following my introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and--to a lesser extend--C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. (These were the only offerings I managed to procure from my Grade School library, so options were scant.) I had just seen the Rankin/Bass animated adaptation of The Hobbit when it premiered on syndicated television, which introduced me to Tolkien’s exhaustive universe… as well as its less-literary peers.
Before long, I would seek out the source material for Conan, being Robert E. Howard’s serialized pulp stories originally published in the 1930s and 1940s, some of which were being reprinted in such monthly digests as Fantastic: Science Fiction & Fantasy Stories during the 1970s. (Unsurprisingly, these installments proved far more engaging than Marvel Comic’s truncated and sanitized reinterpretations.) Even though Conan proved little more than a two-dimensional character (especially as he was portrayed in the comics), it was his fantastic exploits and the world-building surrounding them that seduced me.
Regardless, Marvel’s full-color one-shot lead me to not only only the publisher’s more mature magazine-sized series, The Savage Sword of Conan (1974-1987), but also the early issues of what became the watered-down, mostly mediocre comic series Conan the Barbarian (1970-1993). (The first twenty-four issues of the all-ages comic would become the training ground for preeminent fantasy illustrator Barry Windsor Smith, of which I only obtained a handful of issues during the late 1970s as their value had grown in the few years since they were published, often outreaching my meager, allowance-driven budget.)
Over the next year-or-so, I would follow the titular barbarian’s adventures, but would soon lose interest in its shallow and poorly conceived entries. I was instead inevitably turning to the superior, pulp-oriented source material that was being collected in various paperback collections, as well as more mature comic books that better held my ever-growing attention, particularly The Uncanny X-Men. (In addition to that, my beloved horror genre was experiencing something of a growth spurt, especially when it came to films, with the likes of John Carpenter’s Halloween and Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm diverting my prepubescent, comic-centric attention away from “funny books” back towards film.)
Despite my infatuation with Howard’s mythos, my literary interests inevitably shifted towards similarly-conceived other worlds dominated with far more complex characters and backgrounds, such as Fritz Lieber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, and Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melnibone, both of which offered some much-needed depth to the usual hack-and-slash antics that the genre (at least which I was afforded) generally dished out.
As a comic book, Conan rarely amounted to anything more than testosterone-ridden battles glorifying brawn over brains. Aside from Smith’s early contributions to the series (which are deservedly considered a watershed moment of the medium’s early Bronze Age when it comes to artistic excellence), the series produced little of real merit in the years that followed. (Some of Conan’s early appearances in Marvel’s Savage Tales and The Savage Sword of Conan magazines--produced outside of the CCA’s reach--were also exceptional when it came to the progressive evolution of comic books during the early 1970s--a trend which was reflected in other Marvel magazines at the time.) But--when all is said and done--Conan’s comic book appearances--at least for me--amount to little more than nostalgic drivel forty-plus years later.
As much as I am still besotted with Howard’s original stories and a handful of illustrated interpretations proffered during the 1970s, I don’t hold a particular fondness or nostalgic yearnings for much of the 1970s by-products that once appealed to me growing up. Still, I feel obligated to give it some credence, not for it’s historical importance to the medium, but for what it meant to me growing up in the 1970s.
Addendum: Although I was admittedly disappointed with Dino De Laurentiis’ portrayal of Conan in the character’s silver-screen portrayal in 1982 (despite some saving graces), it was easily one of the best theatrical offerings of the sword’n’sorcery genre for its time. (The only live-action effort produced during this era that I still consider to be truly exemplary for the genre is 1981’s Dragonslayer. Although something of a box-office flop upon its initial release, and surrounded by controversy due to mature content, it is--deservedly--now considered to be a classic.) Like myself, many invested film-goers were even more disgruntled by Conan’s inevitable sequel, as well as the money-grubbing spin-off that was Red Sonja (sadly short-changing what was one of Howard’s more inspired characters). Sure, Schwarzenegger embodied the role (for better and for worse), but said films didn’t do Howard’s material justice--as shallow as they were. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the 2011 reboot directed by Marcus Nispel and starring Jason Momoa as the titular barbarian, which I felt better captured the essence of Howard’s mythology. (I may get some flack for this--considering the unfavorable reviews that reboot has received since its release--I still strongly feel that the 2011 film is a far better representation of the source material than previous celluloid and television interpretations, both in tone and ex*****on, even if it didn’t directly adapt the creator’s original stories. Honestly, if any genre film deserved a sequel, it was this. Well, that and 2012’s Dredd. Just saying…)
Please Note: To accompany this post, I’ve included the cover art for three early issues of the main series, which I consider to be some of the better examples of the run. (All by Smith, unsurprisingly.) Since I found his initial appearances in various Marvel titles equally memorable, I’ve also included three examples from Conan’s magazine-oriented titles as well. I am--once again--sharing scans which I have scraped from the internet, so no copyrights are given nor implied.)
Photo Credits:
Original Cover Art for Conan the Barbarian #19 (1972) Marvel Comics Group
Original Cover Art for Conan the Barbarian #20 (1972) Marvel Comics Group
Original Cover Art for Conan the Barbarian #24 (1972) Marvel Comics Group
Original Cover Art for Savage Tales #1 (1971) Marvel Comics Group
Original Cover Art for Savage Tales #5 (1974) Marvel Comics Group
Original Cover Art for Marvel Comics Super Special #2 (1977) Marvel Comics Group