Happy Birthday Robert E. Howard! REH is known as the creator of Conan, his barbarian character known in comic books, novels, and films! He started as a writer for pulp magazine, Weird Tales. His first popular hero was the Puritan swordsman, Solomon Kane, who fought the supernatural. Kane’s story, “Red Shadows” was published in Weird Tales with the August 1928 issue. The Solomon Kane stories were collected in the book, Savage Tales of Solomon Kane (2004). One of the first comic book adaptations was “Skulls in the Stars” by Roy Thomas and Ralph Reese in the magazine, Monsters Unleashed #1 (1973). A good adaptation of the character was in the Solomon Kane (2009) movie played by James Purefoy.
Howard’s first barbarian hero was Kull, in the story, “Shadow Kingdom, published in the August 1929 issue of Weird Tales. Kull’s first comic appearance was in Creatures on the Loose #10 (1971) by Roy Thomas and Bernie Wrightson. The character was loosley adapted to film in Kull the Conqueror (1997). On November 1930, Howard’s story “Kings of the Night” had Kull encounter Bran Mak Morn, of the Pictish tribes. His stories were collected in Bran Mak Morn: The Last King (2005). The Bran Mak Morn story, “Worms of the Earth” was in the comic magazine, Savage Sword of Conan #16-17 (1976-1977). This adaptation was by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. In 1932, Conan first appeared in “The Phoenix on the Sword”, from a reworked Kull story, “By This Axe I Rule!” The next Conan stoy was “The Scarlet Citadel” in Weird Tales, January, 1933. In 1967, the novel, Conan, collected Howard stories with the addition of work by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.
This became a twelve book series that featured Frank Frazetta covers that were very popular. The stories were in the anthologies, The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian (2003), The Bloody Crown of Conan (2004), and The Conquering Sword of Conan (2005). Conan the comics world with Conan The Barbarian #1 (1970). The Marvel Comics character adapted by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. The more adult themed magazine, Savage Sword of Conan was published in 1974. A newspaper strip by Roy Thomas and John Buscema began in 1978. A new relaunch, Conan the Barbarian, by Jim Zub and Robert De La Torre. It is published by Titan Comics. In 1982, Conan the Barbarian took the character and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger into pop culture. It was followed by Conan the Destroyer (1984). There was also a television series, Conan the Adventurer (1997-1998), two animated shows, and a 2011 film. After his mother died, Howard killed himself in 1936. Sword and sorcery characters, including Conan, all from the pen of a writer from Cross Plains, Texas. Happy Birthday Robert E. Howard.
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