Marvel is skirting the dangerous entry into licensing hell with the new Savage Avengers and other story lines where Conan might partake in the Marvel Universe.
It’s a lesson learned many years ago that Marvel will apparently have to learn again. If you enjoy Conan’s adventures in the mainstream comics universe, buy now or forever hold your peace. Jump on those trade collections unless you want to pay later for a custom hardcover.
Shang-Chi, ROM, the Micronauts and others have experienced the same dilemma. Marvel buys the license and introduces the concepts into the Marvel Universe only to, in time, lose the license and with it the ability to publish the stories with the characters. Special arrangements were made for Shang-Chi reprints recently. Perhaps they could be with Conan. Perhaps there is a provision in the licensing contract. Perhaps.
What may seem like a good idea to those who will buy these for enjoyment (versus the obvious investment) will turn into disappointment later down the line. Ask fans of ROM and Micronauts of their displeasure of the massive trade collections they need to buy to collect the comics they cherish. You’ll understand.
Since Marvel no longer licenses ROM, they cannot reprint the issues or compile them in trade paperback format.
The big difference between these past missteps and today is the availability of digital comics. Marvel might not be able to sell the digital editions of the Micronauts and ROM, but they do exist, as surely as there will be digital editions of Conan and his time in the Marvel Universe.
I like Duggan as a writer. He has some interesting ideas for certain. The Savage Avengers, though, is a team made to support Conan. We’re promised a lot of stabbing and death. This is a team with Conan, Wolverine, Venom, Electra and Brother Voodoo after all. It is nice to see the Savage Land pop up again, but again, the entire idea is built around and iintentionally built upon Conan in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
While people can lay claim to the strength of Disney getting their way (Hello Fox!), Death (ala murder and lots of it, by a perceived team of heroes) is one of the things the Mouse tends to stay away from and may want to distance themselves from at a point in the future. It is true. I am only going on guesses from press releases.
I do have skepticism. Duggan says that to those who do, check out one issue and he will convert you. I will and I’ll report back. Content issues aside, I still have a major problem with any comic that crosses licensed characters into the Marvel Universe and its potential lack of availability when the license expires.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to The Classic Conan Countdown, a series of reviews focusing on the original 275 issues of Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian, which were published from 1970 to 1993. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian Vol. 1, #33.)
By JOESEPH SIMON – Paint Monk’s Library Writer
Norvell Page, under the nom de plume Grant Stockbridge, wrote nearly a hundred tales of The Spider from 1933 to 1943. The Spider was a pulp hero that in many ways was competition for Walter Gibson’s The Shadow. Page also wrote under other names such as N. Wooten Pg, Randolph Craig and others. Under his aliases, Page wrote other pulp titles and tested out other genres.
Under his given name, he wrote sword and sorcery novels. These novels were “Flame Winds” (the very story from whichConan the Barbarian #33 is adapted) and “Songs of the Bear-God”. Both were published in 1939 and each featured a hero based on Prester John. These stories would be among the last that Page penned. As World War II engulfed the globe, he wrote government reports and worked for the Atomic Energy Commission.
Conan the Barbarian #33 is another adaptation placing Conan in non-Conan stories. I would love to know Roy Thomas’ reading list during during the 70’s! These stories obviously influenced him in many ways. Norvell’s “Flame Winds” takes place in a city called Turgohl, which is also the name of a character from “The Blood of Belshazzar” in Conan the Barbarian #27.
Interesting to note – in the 1970 paperback version that Page wrote: “Heroic Fantasy in the great CONAN tradition.” Page’s story though, as the author explains himself, notes that he was particularly impressed with the character of Catholic priest Prester John.
Prester John might ring a bell with some comic fans. A more proper Marvel Universe character with the same name appeared in Fantastic Four and Thor as well as DC Comics’ Arak: Son of Thunder.
Characters taking his name appeared in a wide variety of pulp novels through the century (in addition to Page’s) ranging from books by Umberto Eco (Baudolino), John Buchanan and Charles Williams. Even William Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing” references Prester John’s name.
Steeped in history and religion and worthy of independent research and reading, Prester John has been debated for decades as to whether or not he actually existed. Real or fiction, in Conan the Barbarian #33, Prester John does not exist. Conan only follows in his foot steps as written by Page in his “Flame Winds.”
Instead of “Flame Winds,” Conan the Barbarian #33 is titled “Death and the 7 Wizards.” This issue is continued from the previous (where “Flame Winds” is referenced in name only).
This issue begins with Conan, visible “sucker” wounds covering his body from underwater battle, unconscious and viewed by a passerby as dead. The passerby is Bourtai, a beggar, who plans on taking what little Conan has. Conan stirs and attempts to assess his situation. Bourtai becomes submissive, calling Conan his master and being obedient as Conan demands safety after his traumatic underwater conflict with the octopus-woman.
Bourtai takes him to a house that joins to an underground network of caverns where Conan, a thief himself, guess that the Brotherhood of Thieves have their headquarters. Bourtai says “ to this low estate are we fallen, master, since the coming of the Seven. But perhaps our fortunes will change now that you are here.”
Conan, not a stranger to being a hero and savior, says “Perhaps. We’ll talk about it after I’ve eaten.”. While waiting to eat, Bourtai is asked to tell Conan of the wizardsand he complies.
I am somewhat impressed. Bourtai tells how seven wizards came to Wan Tengri and overthrew the previous king and now rule the city with magic and terror. Conan also learns that Kassar, the man who smuggled Conan into the city, has been captured and will be put to death. Feeling responsible, Conan vows to save him, and has Bourtai lead him to the flame tower where the wizards rule. The tower itself is surrounded by the magical red flames that cover the city, and each untrusting wizard’s personal guard lies ready to attack the other for the slightest reason. Bourtai and Conan sneak into the underground passages of the tower, and the two are separated. Conan comes across the already deceased Kassar, and soon finds himself in an arena, a guest of the seven wizards.
“….they merely…appeared one day….on the seventh day…in the seventh month, in robes of seven colors. Their magic turned Won Shi (the then leader of the city)into a pile of scattered ashes. Then they built the flame tower, whose far-darting fires fall with lethal fury on any caught outside the gates after nightfall. One must either accept their yoke…or trust to the desert of Black Sands Beyond. There is no other choice. And, a thief now runs the risk that the man he robs may be one of the seven, who walks among us in many disguises. The Wizard has but to think of a stolen object…and it returns to him. It is most unfair.”
Bourtai then mentions that Won Shi had a beautiful daughter who is imprisoned in the flame tower Conan inquires if perhaps Bourtai is one of the seven in disguise. Bourtai explains he snuck in once. Conan is undecided if he accepts, and quickly distracts himself insulting the food he has eaten and going to sleep.
We should note that while Conan demands answers, none are asked of him and he chooses to not explain why he happens to appear in their lives. We’re reminded of a dream that indicated to Conan he would be crowned a King and wonders “this place has no king right now, only wizards and a princess….” and falls asleep, sword in hand.
When he wakes, his welts are gone from the previous fight and Conan overhears that Kassar was arrested and taken to the flame tower – this is the same Kassar who helped sneak Conan in the city to spy on it. Conan announces that “No man dies in place of Conan of Cimmeria. By Crom I’ll free him–if I have to tear down the Flame Tower itself!“
The thieves are shocked that Conan would risk his life to save a “worthless sheep herd.” Conan demands Bourtai take him to the flame tower Conan, though, has yet to call Bourtai by his name. Instead, he calls him “monkey face.” Bourtai requests that Conan not call him “monkey face” before his fellow thieves. Conan says that Bourtai’s name is “not much of name” but agrees to do as Bourtai asked him.
It is interesting to note that the Cimmerian’s continued belief that he will one day be a king could potentially define how he treats others. On one hand, Conan was said to feel relaxed among the thieves having been one himself. At the same time, he treats them as inferiors, much like various kings have treated him.
The next exchange in the story is my favorite in the entire issue.
Bourtai takes Conan outside the flame tower and Conan reflects…”I was just thinking of how much of my life so far has been bound up with wizards and towers.”
We are then shown a two-page spread of Conan’s sentimental journey of the past 33 issues. We take a tour through time of Conan’s experiences with wizards and towers. While Conan already had a disdain for wizards, its about time he realizes that towers represent danger!
With thoughts of danger, Conan’s mind recalls Jenna and then Red Sonja (with Buscema keeping true to Conan’s memory and the full chainmail top version of Red Sonja that Barry Windsor-Smith created!)
Conan casts these thoughts aside while he and Bourtai sneak into the flame tower. Conan also continues to call his companion “monkey face” (though he did promise to stop doing that in front of the entire thieves’ guild!)
What will happen next? Will Conan keep his word and call Bourtai by his proper name in front of his fellow thieves and stop being a jerk? Can Conan best not one wizard, but the combined might of seven? Will Conan save Kassar? Will he save the princess, become a king, and forget about Jenna or Red Sonja? What sort of spy will the Cimmerian prove to be?
CAPSULE REVIEW: I enjoy the character development of Conan. I think, in reading the series as a whole, that Roy Thomas does a great job building momentum with Conan as a person. I remember reading the first couple dozen Amazing Spider-Man comics. At varying times I would read them with a greater interest in the plot pertaining to Peter Parker and other times, the parts with Parker in costume as Spider Man.
Its not to take away from Conans life and death struggles, given that I really enjoyed Conan’s interactions with Bertai and the Cimmerian reflecting on his life. The pay off is there, as all plots and character development does pay off and lead to greater stories later in the series.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 7.4. On eBay, copies (ungraded) were affordable and available from $5-$15.
The day following Tim Truman’s graduation from the famous Joe Kubert School of Art in 1981, he landed a job with popular gaming company SPI. This move would soon lead to Truman’s hiring at TSR Hobbies (the company which created Dungeons and Dragons) as an artist. A few years later, he’d team up with John Ostrander, gaining even more acclaim as the co-creator of Grimjack for First Comics.
While all of these exciting things happened in the mid 1980s, they would lay the groundwork and lead to developments in comics that would change how the industry worked – and many of these rumblings of the past are still felt in comics today.
First Comics played an important part in the independent comics movement that the direct market helped create. Grimjack helped pave the way for First and opened a readership for grim and gritty science fiction action.
Soon afterward, Tim created Scout for Eclipse Comics. Together with First and a number of other indie comic companies, Eclipse (partially due to the success of Tim’s books) remade the industry into much of what you see today.
Tim also created 4Winds, which was affiliated with Eclipse but published books independently. Through 4Winds (and Eclipse) Tim would work on series involving the pulp hero the Spider; golden age comic hero Airboy and the Prowler character. He would also publish work from South American and European creators (including material from Carlos Trillo, Enrique Breccia, Barreiro and Alcatena.)
This would delve into a wild career at DC, Marvel, Dark Horse (with a decade of being on Conan!), westerns, making music, creating more comic art and other fun. Decades of great work, including collaborations with other creators, were produced.
For me personally, Scout was always there as something to re-read and ponder. While created early in Tim’s career, Scout in many ways exploded into all that would come afterward. Science fiction with a western feel, research into the indigenous American cultures, a 45″ flexidisc (with Tim’s music) was inserted into one issue of Scout. Emanuel Santana (as Scout was known) comics could sit on the same shelf as other American comics as much is it could share shelf space with comics created overseas. It was a comic that in content resonates with what is going on in the modern world today and it is as exciting now as it was then!
Readers of Scout during its Eclipse run are no doubt excited by the announcement of the new Kickstarter for Scout: Marauder, as well as the news of a possible Scout motion picture. And readers looking for an engaging, relevant and well-told science fiction story are in for a treat: Scout: Marauder is coming!
Your son Benjamin has already established himself as a comics writer and game designer. I find this fascinating. I don’t have any children, but I always imagined it would be awesome to have a child follow in my footsteps. How cool is it that your son is not only an established writer, but he’s also collaborating with you on various projects like A Man Named Hawken and your current project, Scout: Marauder?
TIM TRUMAN
“What can I say? It’s quite cool indeed. I’m really proud of our children and the way that they’ve been able to stake out their own individual careers as creative people. Emily, Ben’s sister, is an editor, photographer, model, exhibited collage artist and CD cover illustrator. Ben wrote and was story lead for the hit game Black Mesa at Steam, wrote a comic project for Google and was one of the main contributors to the bestselling indie zombie anthology, FUBAR. He recently collected most of his best stories into a book called Trumanthology which is available at his website. They ain’t kids anymore, you know?
Both of them are now older than I was when I was doing Scout: War Shaman. But both of them served as models when I needed reference shots for Scout’s boys, Victorio and Tahzey. Em was Victorio and Ben was Tahzey! I’m trying to find some of those old reference shots to post in one of the Kickstarter updates, then show folks what they look like now that they’re adults. Should be fun.
Ben and I have a great time working together. We’re a good team. We have really different methods of approaching a story. He’s more methodical and analytical, and I just sort of go from the gut. In the end, it makes for a nice blend. By the way, we just found out that story we did for the comics anthology Vampire Tales, an adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s famous short story “Horror from the Mound,” just won the 2018 Rankin Artistic Achievement Award from the Robert E. Howard Foundation!”
JOESEPH SIMON
You wrote Scout and Scout: War Shaman in the 1980s and 1990s. The comic industry is a lot different now. The great leaders in independent comics like Eclipse (who published Scout) and First (who published Grimjack) are sadly no longer around. Sales, demographics, comic stores, public perception of comics have changed, not to mention downloadable comics and more. What do you find interesting as well as troubling about the comic industry now as opposed to the days when the original Scout comics were released?
The “Wilderness” graphic novel, produced by Truman’s 4Winds publishing imprint.
TIM TRUMAN
“I think the biggest thing that affected the industry was the dissolution of distributors. God bless Diamond Distribution, but all told, things were better for the industry when we had 15 or more seperate comic book distributors to deal with – especially for indie comic publishers.
When I was publishing the 4Winds graphic novels, for instance, one distributor might order only 6 books but another would order 300. In between, other distributors would pick up the slack. To illustrate the point, my two Wilderness graphic novels sold far more copies than a lot of current books by big name creators by Dark Horse, IDW or whoever.
We actually did 2 separate printings and 2 hardcover editions at 4Winds plus two separate editions collecting both books in one volume through Eclipse and another publisher. They sold thousands in both the comics market and the historical book market. Would we get those numbers today? In the historical book market, perhaps yes. In the comics market, maybe not. So, though I think that there are many – if not more – people out there who read and enjoy comics now as there were then, less order sources make for less sales.
It has affected everything.The interesting thing that has happened is that the internet has certainly opened up the playing field. With things like Kickstarter, we can offer true collectible editions to our fans directly and even interact with them directly rather than splitting the profits with a publisher who in most cases isn’t even going to do marketing for the book. It’s far more work, of course – especially the work it takes to gather all your numbers and set things up at the site – but in the end it allows you more freedom to control the contents, format and things like that.
So in that way, it’s immersive – a total creative experience. You’re constructing something heartfelt from the ground up in an almost “fine arts” way. As one of the earliest proponents for both creator ownership and self-publishing, I’ve wanted to move back into it for years, and so it feels great to be doing so.”
Scout #1, from Eclipse Comics in 1986.
JOESEPH SIMON
Scout began publication in 1985. Emanuel Santana (AKA Scout) is a Native American of Apache heritage living in a dystopian United States that has basically become a third world country. The story starts in the then-future year of 1999. The story revealed that due to a series of ecological disasters and economic excesses, other nations were forced to levy vast sanctions against the US for exploiting world resources. In 2017, I’m curious about a few things. First, how has the time passed since the Eclipse Scout comic’s 1999 in the time period of the world you and Ben will depict in Scout: Marauder?
TIM TRUMAN
“Well, the original miniseries ran for two years, so it covered the ‘future’ of 1999-2001 or thereabouts. Scout: War Shaman was set 12-15 years later, so let’s say that miniseries covered ‘2016-2018,’ when Victorio and Tahzey were kids. Scout: Marauder is set about 15 years after War Shaman, so ‘2033’ in ‘Scout years.’ So yay! It’s the future again!”
JOESEPH SIMON
Do you feel that perhaps with how things are turning out in the present day that our future could still turn out like Scout’s 1999?
TIM TRUMAN
“In many ways we’re already there.”
JOESEPH SIMON
You name-dropped the titles Scout: Marauder as well as Scout: Blue Leader years prior to the Kickstarter for Marauder. Is this the same Scout: Marauder as planned previously?
TIM TRUMAN
“Absolutely. The general idea was planned and plotted out since the time of Scout: War Shaman #1. When I re-read the first half of War Shaman a few years ago, I was amazed at how much groundwork I’d actually laid. In the first two issues, even though Vic and Tahzey are clearly seen as young children in the stories themselves, the text in the captions are a young adult Victorio as a captive being interviewed in a detention facility.
Seeds of this current series were sewn throughout War Shaman. People new to Scout need not worry much about continuity, though. We’re consciously writing this as a stand-alone tale, with key info about the boys’ background sewn throughout. For those that want to dive deeper, though, we’re offering PDFs of the complete Eclipse run of Scout and Scout: War Shaman as part of our rewards. In coming months, I’ll have downloads available for sale at my website as well.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to The Classic Conan Countdown, a series of reviews focusing on the original 275 issues of Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian, which were published from 1970 to 1993. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #118.)
By JOESEPH SIMON – PM Library Writer
This issue features the second appearance of the red-haired force of nature, Red Sonja, and it’s definitely something to cheer about! It’s also near the end of the Makkalet storyline. For me, there were some good stories during the Makkalet arc, but I didn’t particularly like the city or the setting.
I think it was more confusing than it had to be and Makkalet doesn’t feature prominently in future stories. I suspect others felt the same way about these tales.
Dean Plakas is correct in his assessment of the conservative nature of Barry Windsor-Smith’s Red Sonja in his review of Conan the Barbarian #23. I’m glad other artists gave her the trademark look that remains popular today. I’m not quite sure her rise in popularity would have sustained itself otherwise.
My critique of Sonja’s appearance is not made to diminish her personality or impact in the stories. She has plenty of both. I do love Smith’s artwork, but many of his women look the same and are not as memorable as a result in a visual sense. Red Sonja manages to stay away from the familiar-looking Smith women to a degree.
So what of the story of “The Song of Red Sonja?”
Review of Conan the Barbarian #24
Once again, our scene is set in a tavern. As with many such locations in the Hyborian Age, ale flows freely and women are dancing. The dancing woman in question this night is Red Sonja. Conan has a front row view with everyone else in the crowded bar captivated and chanting her name (as Son-ya.)
Another common element in Hyborian taverns are brawls – one of which quickly ensues when a companion to Red Sonja’s party, Big Jax, wants Sonja to sit with him. Big Jax, sadly, had part of his head cleaved off by an axe in a previous battle and it’s made him rather dull-witted. This escalates into a fight with Conan that turns into a full-fledged bar room brawl.
Big Jax just wanted Sonja to sit with him and look at the mess now…
Conan and Sonja, having their fill of battle, run outside to jump into a pool of water for an improvisational dip to cool off. Sonja plunges in, and re-emerging from the water has taken off her chain mail top. Before things can turn PG-13, Romantic Red teases Conan and they get out of the pool.
I don’t quite recall where, but I remember reading about how this scene did have edits to make it more reader-friendly. Remember, we’re not talking about covering up full nudity. Smith, no doubt, knew the rules of Marvel, a primary rule seemingly being that “sometimes less is more.” My memory on this continues to be lacking, but I believe there was a re-printing, perhaps a giant-sized, treasury edition, that showed Smith’s real intentions for the scene.
The story shifts to palace guards asking the tavern owner about the brawl. While they discuss the details, the guards realize that their horses are being stolen….by Sonja and Conan! The end of the first part of the story sees our red-spirited beauty and her enamored barbarian friend taking the road towards the royal palace.
The second part of the comic begins with a Howard-penned poem referencing the man called Kharam-Akkad. When we next see Conan and Sonja, they are facing a tower (Roy Thomas’ and Robert E. Howard’s fascination with towers apparently continues!)
Towers, as all readers know by now, are never good for Conan. Ignoring his past encounters with previous structures like these, our Cimmerian attempts to arouse Sonja in talk and bodily bravado only to be punched squarely in the face, with enough force to fall back into some bushes.
Speaking of personality…Conan responds with “By Crom, girl — I’ve killed men for less than that!” and Sonja mic-drops Conan with “For what? For not letting you kiss them?“
Sonja lays Conan out with a mean left hook.
An interesting sidenote is Red mocking Conan for pronouncing her name as Son-ya – “you pronounce my name as if there is apish blood in you” she says. I thought of the Hulk when I read Sonja’s comment!
Into the tower the pair travel, luckily entering a riches-filled room high inside the structure. Conan is enchanted by the treasures while Red says wisely to check the corridors for guards and more danger.
In my review of Conan the Barbarian #21, I mentioned how Conan was not quite “king material” at this point. He has much to learn. Even here, on a basic level, he is still learning. At least Red knows to police your area!
Conan goes to secure the room as requested and Red comes across a bejeweled serpent tiara. One moment all seems promising, the next Conan hears her screaming and he finds himself racing to her aid. This is the end of “Part Two.”
What kind of mess has the fire-haired Hyrkanian got herself into now? And how does Conan end up learning yet another lesson about women and ending up with another “Charlie Brown” moment?
CAPSULE REVIEW: This is a bittersweet issue. While I may be disappointed with the artistic interpretation of Sonja, I find Barry Windsor-Smith to be a great artist with a renowned style. Without his artwork, Conan may never have reached 24 issues. Roy Thomas is to be credited as much as Smith, and as a team, they did rule supreme (even if there were moments of occasional tension!) Either way, they created something different, something new, something challenging for the 1970s while standing the test of time even today.
It is then sad, as this issue is the last of the Roy Thomas / Barry Windsor-Smith run. It’s not entirely bad news, as Smith’s time with Conan helps propel him to greater heights in his career. We, as fans, can purchase many different reprints and collections representing this grand period of Conan. And it won’t be the last time we find these creative juggernauts working together.
I think it will be interesting as we progress further in the Classic Conan Countdown to see how the team dynamic changes as Roy Thomas works with new artists.
Creativity when shared can be powerful, creating things that otherwise would not exist with just one or the other or with someone else involved. Commonly acknowledged with great bands and musicians, collaborations in comics can be just as rewarding. Robert E Howard, Roy Thomas, and Barry Windsor-Smith have been and always will be known as a team worthy of reading as much as they were when these issues were first released.
Storywise, Red Sonja is the saving grace of this particular comic. Place any other female that Conan has met to this point in the series and you would not have the same story. You can, however, replace Conan with another heroic barbarian hero in this specific story and it won’t affect the dynamic at all.
No one knew that Red Sonja would soar to great fame – given that she did, I would rate this issue a 7.5 out of 10. Seeing that this is the end of a legendary creative team up, I’ll kick the score up to an 8.5.
On eBay, copies of this issue in ungraded condition were readily available in the $35-60 range.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to The Classic Conan Countdown, a series of reviews focusing on the original 275 issues of Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian, which were published from 1970 to 1993. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #21.)
By JOESEPHSIMON – Paint Monk’s Library Writer
Conan the Barbarian #21 has a thought-provoking cover, but symbolically it’s not what you might think. It shows Conan standing over foes who have fallen but aren’t dead. It’s not really a standard look for a Conan frontispiece, and not so inspiring at first look. But a keener eye will catch the slogan on the cover – “Winner of the Comic Book Industry’s own Academy Award for Best Comic-Mag!”
Due to its context and lack of standard cover art, one can infer that symbolically the fallen yet still-living foes are the comic books that didn’t win the award. An interesting side note is Marvel’s own spelling of comic book as “comic-book” and comic magazine as “comic-mag.”
The award in question is the Academy of Comic Book Arts Shazam Award, a short-lived but then prestigious honor. This was not the only time Conan won that particular recognition. In 1970, as many fans applauded, Barry Smith received the award forbest new talent. In 1971, Conan was honored for both best continuing feature andbest writer (Roy Thomas.)
This would not be the last award for Conan either! You can, in fact, expect one coming very soon in upcoming issues. I believe many fans might be able to predict accurately what the next award Conan received might have been – please leave your guesses in the comments section below.
Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #21
We find Conan in a situation continued from Conan the Barbarian #20, or depending on your viewpoint, from issue #19 or earlier, where we see the Cimmerian washed up on the shore and wounded from battle after trying to save his Vanir friend Fafnir.
Conan is fortunate enough to have survived the watery grave that otherwise would have been his fate. His luck runs out onshore where workmen of the men from Makkalet find him. These men attack him, thinking he is a Turanian mercenary who has recently menaced the city. In truth, Conan recently did fight with the Turanians – but Conan’s attempt to correct the men falls on fists and swords. The Cimmerian, not only weary from his previous battle and survival in the sea, also suffers from an arrow still sticking in his body.
Our barbarian is overpowered and the men, close to killing Conan, are stopped by Haram-Pyr, commander of the Makkalet King’s Guard. Conan is then thrown into a prison, where his presence creates palace intrigue.
A court physician is called to help Conan with his wounds by the Queen’s command, and he’s prepped to meet Queen Melissandra, King Eannatum, and the supreme priest of the true Tarim. Conan is led out of jail by Khurusan, a man that Conan sizes up as someone to watch and in time deal with.
Once in front of the King, Queen and Supreme Priest, things start to snap into place. The queen wanted to see Conan for a reason – she was seen in Conan the Barbarian #19 and was going by the name Caissa at the time. Conan and Caissa (or Melissandra) acknowledge each other silently as the king demands to know Conan’s story. The barbarian explains the events and King Eannatum decides, with the queen’s approval, to let Conan help the kingdom.
Conan agrees, but only if he receives a fast horse in return, as well as the shortest route west.
The barbarian is sent to recruit the help of the queen’s father. Caissa (Melissandra) sees Conan off and even gives him a rune-carved armband to protect him. As Conan, Khurusan and several other soldiers ride out of town, they encounter Turanian troops attempting to blockade the roads. Making short work of the Turanians, the group approaches an altar made of towering obelisks.
Present are the obelisk’s caretakers, a man named Justin and his daughter. Justin is an old, blind hermit. After mysterious words and warnings from Justin, Khurusan and his soldiers kill the old man and then beat Conan into unconsciousness.
On the opening page of this issue, it’s mentioned that this issue is inspired by a Robert E. Howard horror story called “The Black Stone.” The second half of the issue has significant impact with the story from which it was inspired. In a way, the second act of the issue has just begun.
What exactly does that mean? And will Conan ever save Fafnir?
CAPSULE REVIEW: The art in this issue is rounded out by several legends of comic book and fantasy illustrations. The art, while rendered by Barry Windsor-Smith, is rounded out by P. Craig Russell and Val Mayerik. How far each of these artists has come!
Illustration-wise, just the name of these talents should elevate the rating of this book past what I have graded this review! The story on its own merit could have been better. There’s a lot going on, but most of it is left unresolved.
Within the context of a story arc that has a grasp far wider than I believe even Marvel expected at the time, everything fits in. This issue is just a piece of the puzzle that helps make my choice of rating this issue an 8 on a scale of 1-10 just right (please see our review and grading standards here.)
Eagle-eyed readers might remember that the Tarim Incarnate, the living body of the greatest Hyrkanian deities, and a man-god that Conan has heard of, was also mentioned in King Kull.
On eBay, copies of this issue ungraded are readily available for less than $10.
– Joeseph Simon
April 14th, 2018 By Joeseph Simon, InterviewsComments Off on INTERVIEW: The Trust and Kabale Battle for the Optimus
(EDITOR’S NOTE: PM Library Associate Editor Joeseph Simon talks with creator, inker and author Bill Anderson about his latest project in an exclusive Paint Monk’s Library interview.)
It’s always a win-win situation when a talented group of creators get together to make a new comic book.
The Trust, Book One: Silent Scream Issue #2 is a historical fantasy set in the flapper era of the 1920’s. It’s a story featuring the conflict between two organizations: the Trust and the Kabale. Both are fighting over the control of the Optimus, a device that can change the world.
You can go with your gut instinct on who you would hope has control of the Optimusin this one. But just in case, I should mention Thomas Edison, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Musidora, Amelia Earhart, William S. Hart and Bill Montana all are part of the Trust. The membership of The Kabale includes Max Schreck, Werner Krauss, Rudolph Klein-Rogge, Fritz Lang and an updated version of Maria The Robot. Co-written by Dennis Webster, who is well known for published works on ghost hauntings, true crime and asylums, he’s the editor and contributor to the best selling Adirondack Mysteries series. He’s also co-creator and co-writer of the Silent Scream graphic novel, writer of the What the Freak comic and has written a number of stage plays and screenplays. A real life paranormal investigator with the Ghost Seekers of Central New York and the executive producer and host of the well-titled television show and web series Ghosts and Toast. Bill Anderson, co-creator, co-writer, and inker is well-known for his work with Marvel (Silver Surfer, Spider Man, Cosmic Powers, Uncanny Origins), DC (Action, Aquaman, Batman and the Outsiders, JLA), Image (Vanguard), and many others including TMNT, Elementals, Star Blazers, Robotech, Dreadstar and Elvira. Gabriel Rearte is an artist from Argentina known for his work in Europe and South America as well as the United States for working on Wonder Woman, Jinn: Realm of the Claw, Witchblade, Campirella, Gravel, Threshold, Species, Lady Death, The Phantom, Lone Wolf, Grim Fairy Tales, Evil Dead 2 and other stories. Laurie Smith, whose nomination for an Eisner Award for her work on The X-Files comic from Topps is one of many credits to her professional colorist career of 22 years.
An amazing team doing an interesting book! Its available now on Kickstarter but only until April 24th. It’s a good thing I managed to get an interview with Bill Anderson to bring it all into perspective.
JOESEPH SIMON: I have to admit, I love the line up, although I am a fan of many of these real life people like Fritz Lang. He was certainly a great creator of bad people! Tell us more about your series. Why these characters? Obviously with your co-writer’s background, the past is a valued and likely treasured subject.
BILL ANDERSON: There are a variety of reasons why we chose the people in the story. Once we chose Max Schreck as the main villain, it was the obvious move to bring in other personalities from German Expressionism, culminating with Fritz Lang. For the Trust, we looked for people whose abilities could reasonably translate into an adventure story, and considering that many early stars did their own stunts, there were plenty to choose from. It was also very exciting to discover connections between some of them that we weren’t aware of until after we chose them.
JOESEPH SIMON: It is fascinating that these famous historical figures did all live during this period of time and had, as you discovered, connections to each other. Without spoiling any of the story, what were some of the interesting connections you and Dennis uncovered? BILL ANDERSON: One example would be that Thea von Harbou, screenwriter of Metropolis, was actually married to one of the other people we chose as a member of the Kabale, before she was married to Fritz Lang.
JOESEPH SIMON: You have a solid group comprising the Trust and the Kabale. You also have an amazing creative team with Dennis, Gabriel and Laurie. At comic book companies like Marvel and DC, often the creative team is put together by the powers that be. The situation is different here. How did everyone come together?
BILL ANDERSON: Dennis and I met on a different project, which ended up not happening. While we were waiting for that to progress, we started kicking around other ideas, and discovered we liked writing together. I met Gabriel through Facebook, because he was a fan of my inking over Angel Medina. When the latest in a long line of pencillers left the project, I invited Gabriel on board, and luckily for us, he was interested. I saw Laurie post some of her coloring over her husband, George Freeman, and thought she would be a perfect fit for the project. JOESEPH SIMON: George Freeman? The artist of Captain Canuck? BILL ANDERSON: Yes. I had friended him on Facebook, because I’m a huge fan of his art, and that led me to seeing Laurie’s post.
JOESEPH SIMON: The Trust is a Kickstarter that will be ending on April 24. There’s a lot more than just comic in the pledge levels. Give us the elevator pitch for what you have in store for everyone.
BILL ANDERSON: In addition to the comic, all backers will get a Musidora print by Fred Hembeck. There are other extras available as well, a t-shirt, a coloring book, art prints, as well as original art from the comic and some of the prints. Backers are also encouraged to contact me if they want to combine rewards. – Joeseph Simon * * *
I want to thankBill for taking the time to talk to the readers of the Paint Monk’s Library. All four of the creative team are amazing talents. I have personally followed Bill’s workfor years and am excited about the projects he has planned for in the future. Take a look at he Trust, Book One, Silent Scream:
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February 14th, 2019 
