Stan Lee presents : The Savage Sword of Conan The Barbarian December, 1985 No.119 - By Marvel Group. EIC- Jim Shooter, Editor- Larry Hama, Managing Editor-Pat Redding, Ernie Chan - Cover, Danny Crespi- Art Production Coordinator, Barry Shapiro- Design, Soul & Inspiration - Robert E. Howard * 66 total pages B/W *
I'm a big fan of the old comics. I like to collect them and read them while acknowledging the time in which the comic was born. This one was done in 1985, a year after Conan The Destroyer hit the theaters. This was definitely a massively published and extremely popular magazine at the time. At $1.50 cover price it's important to point out this was just about twice as much as a single comic in those days. But make no mistake, the fact that they don't call this a comic doesn't mean that's it's not a comic. I would describe it as a super comic with a unique format. If you ever come across one, the first thing you'll notice is that it's certainly bigger than a standard sized comic book, but still very much a comic book.
So how about a brief glance into the world of 1985!The historical significance is important to me because I want to know a little about the world people were escaping while reading these books and because it's just plain interesting. To put it the time period into perspective, and with some digging around, I found these really cool facts about 1985. A gallon of gasoline would run you $ 1.09, the average monthly rent was $375.00, and it would cost you $2.75 to see a new movie in the theatres. Sure, it all sounds incredibly easy and cheap now but please keep in mind the median income was around $27,000 a year. Still better than today's economy but still quite challenging. A search of the world news in 85' turned up some interesting stories as well. President Reagan was selling the rights to his autobiography, Aids was scaring the shit out of just about everybody, and the television was being used for one of the first times to bring awareness to the great poverty in the world, particularly in Ethiopia. Now.. here is one last fact to help put the time into perspective, in 1985 windows version 1.0 was released. Yep! The history buff inside of me gets excited just thinking about it! That technology changed the world in a way that is immeasurable to any other invention by man, in my own humble opinion. I can only marvel how far we've come and the amount of growth in the comic world since then.
Trust me, when I seen a couple of these lying around the local comic shop I felt I had discovered a great find and just had to pick them up. I started to think about how some of my favorite writers and artists may have read this series when they were a kid and how maybe it helped make their destiny a bit clearer to them. Not only that, but I was sure ads and other types of fan feedback were to be found within its pages. That to me is a true glimpse back in time!
I only payed a couple bucks per issue, maybe a dollar or so above the cover price, and have since looked online to purchase more. Surprisingly ( to me anyway), I have not only found them readily available but fairly inexpensive! I've seen Lots for sale containing four issues being sold for $12, and some individual issues running for around $5. I personally wouldn't pay over $5 for a single issue unless there was something really special about that particular book. I've contemplated the idea of collecting the entire series from start to finish ( over 250 books ) a couple of times but have never committed completely to the idea. So for now, if I see one I'll buy it and just check it off my list. Don't worry so much about getting an issue and feeling a bit left out. This was never really meant to be an ongoing series as it was to telling stories about that famous Cimmerian we call Conan.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the magazine was of course the art. As I did a quick flip through I quickly discovered that just about every single black and white page was extraordinary. The amount of detail that went into every single inch of each panel really made me feel like I bought not only a cool piece of comic history, but a book filled with magnificent art. I cant vouch for every issue as the production teams likely changed throughout the course of its publication, but I can say with a certainty that the team that put my issue together were the purest definition of the word professional.
Now if you haven't had the chance to read Robert E. Howard's The Complete Chronicles of Conan, then that's ok. The issues I've read tell the stories really well. Bringing to life all the brutality and gore that only Conan can bring. Of course, the novels go into depth and history way more than the comics do, but we're not reading a novel, we are reading comics! The story is just as engaging and intense but without the lulls that some novels, especially the seriously long ones, tend to have between the lines. Another thing that I really enjoyed about the writing is that I felt it stayed true to The Conan that Howard created in his novel. From reactions to certain situations, to the brutality that one would acquire living in a land ravaged by death and war. Another great attribute is that throughout the story, you have a sense that each character is aware of the mighty Crom, this was a really fantastic touch. The other characters in the story, while not carrying the same weight, are also scarred by the lands. It's this sort of attention to detail that makes finding these issues worth it!
Another cool, and really unexpected surprise, was that I found a short story of Kull The Conqueror at the end! Yes! After 56 pages of pure Conan awesomeness they still fed me dessert. This was really like a comic that just kept on giving and by the time I was done I was truly satisfied with both my purchase and the time I spent reading it. If I could go back in time I'd definitely be a lifetime subscriber!
So if you get a chance, or find a couple of these lying around your local comic shop, they are worth picking up and as long as they are under $5 dollars an issue, I'd consider it a real steal.
So until next time take care and smile!
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