World Famous Comics: The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 4 (Conan (Graphic Novels))
The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 4 (Conan (Graphic Novels))
By: Roy Thomas, Various Publisher: Dark Horse Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Dark Horse Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 500 Publication Date: October 15, 2008 Reading Level: Young Adult
Product Description: Editing and charting Conan's course in the influential Savage Sword of Conan magazine, Roy Thomas led a phenomenal assemblage of talented illustrators boldly through the end of the seventies and into the eighties, unfettered by page counts and the limiting thumb of the Comics Code. Thomas scripted the continuing adventures of Conan, drawing from Robert E. Howard's original tales - along with other Conan adventures - and working with such esteemed artists as John Buscema, Sal Buscema, Ernie Colon, Klaus Janson, and the amazing Gil Kane! The Savage Sword of Conan brought the world thrilling adaptations of "Sons of the White Wolf," "The Legions of the Dead," and "The Treasure of Tranicos."
The final nail I'll try to keep this brief. There's a place for nostalgia but it is not anywhere to be seen in this volume, and I speak from experience as a long time reader of this line. The production values on the original series are, at this point, staid and predictable. No longer are myriad artists answering the call. Indeed, it's all too apparent that no one wants the headache of the chance at reigning mediocrity that is the entire Conan series at this point. It's all John "gotta make my crummy paycheck because my bosses are cheap $*%&@hds!!" Buscema, all the time. Gil Kane's brief stint as the artist is marred by standard house inks provided by a crunched deadline. This is not art in the service of a story. This is drudgery provided by very skilled men in the service of a franchise with a deadline that has to be met by hook or by crook. I can't blame some for thinking this is great stuff. After all, when compared to the fare that is adventure comics today this stuff still looks pretty high browed and powerful. It's just too bad that the looks say nothing about the content, and if one looks very hard the art, while good, is no longer lovingly rendered by men trying to make their mark. These were men laboring. The scripts are worse. With nothing but pastiche or heavily edited original Howard tales the book is no longer about the guy Robert Howard wrote about. Not that the fans cared. Discerning readers should avoid these from now on. Any promise of unique and exotic storytelling ends with these stories.
Conan the Barbarian Sword and fantasy fiction doesn't get much better than Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian. Great art and fantastic stories of the Cimmerian.
Mitra, Save us! It is about time that the negative reviews have ceased for the Dark Horse Savage Sword represses... While I have noticed a few minor printing problems (reasonable for mass production) it is no where near the problem that people would have you believe (Aye, Conan would've run 'em through long ago!). In my opinion, Dark Horse has done a fantastic job... but how could you screw up such great comics?!? Great stories and some of the best artwork to hit the page make for a series that stands the test of time. It would be nice if they included the original covers for the issues... my only suggestion... buy these!!! all of 'em.
Savage Sword of Conan Vol 4 When I was younger I had some of the original SSoC. Robert E. Howard's Conan has with-stood the test of time. When I had lost some of the originals, and being too young to read the first 50 or so, I missed out. But, out of the 235 issues, I didn't miss many. As a kid growing up, I couldn't wait till the next issue! Over the years I missed reading them. (I still have some of the 1st prints), Now don't get me wrong, the new color comics are awesome BUT, it left little to the imagination. When I started reading, it felt like I was there. When Darkhorse announced they will re-print SSoC, all those memories came back in a flood. And being able to read, (and re-read) SSoC I was thrilled. When I found out about it, I thought they were going to re-issue the 1st prints, but then I discovered that they will be in graphic novel format..Lets just say 'giddy' was an understatement! 500+ pages?! ok now I'M REALLY HAPPY! Now granted, the volumes are slightly smaller than the 1st prints, and the print may be dark in places. But when I open up an original, they where more or less the same way. So that's not a problem for me at least. If you never read SSoC, GET IT! If you love the fantasy genre, GET IT! I also recommend REHs novels themselves. Now, all I have to do is wait for VOL 5.. Uh oh, I'm getting that giddy feeling again!!
Great collection and easier than tracking down original magazines. The artwork and writing in Savage was some of the best ever produced in comics. If you have any interest in Conan and don't have the original magazines you ought to get this. I will say I enjoyed the 1st 3 volumes a little more than this one as some of the artwork in this volume does seem a little rushed, but as a whole I'd still rate it excellent artwork.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
