Robert E Howard's melancholic barbarian debuted in the December 1932 issue of
Weird Tales, in
The Phoenix on the Sword - a heavily rewritten Kull of Atlantis yarn the magazine had previously rejected. Howard would go on to write twenty one complete
Conan adventures before his suicide in 1936. Frequently referred to as an idealised alter-ego for Howard, the hero shares both his height and weight. Conan is more than a lunk thump savage - the barbarian is gifted strategist and leader, able to speak a variety of languages. The Conan mythos have enjoyed a variety of adaptations, most notably John Milius' 1982 movie
Conan the Barbarian, and Roy Thomas' tenure at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.
For my Conan, I wanted a squared chiseled face, with dark, troubled eyes. I think I just about managed that. There's a bit of Schwarzenegger in there too, but not much.
If I'd had my thinking cap on I would have drawn Conan as a granite handsome
Howard shadow.
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