CROM!

Vikor!

2012-01-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Spotted this Vikor action figure over at Poe Ghostal's and just had to share it here.

"Gege the Average Joe Barbarian" by Stephane Sabourin!

2012-01-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

I got an email a while back from french artist, Stephane Sabourin, who sent along his little tribute to the barbarian genre with his Conan-esque parody, Gege the Average Joe Barbarian, which, quite frankly, I found brilliant (if only I could read French)!

In his own words:

hello
I'm a french admirer of your "Crom" homepage and also a huge REH fan!
Few years ago,I made this 7 pages parody of our beloved Cimmerian,strongly inspired by the introduction part in Buziek and Nord's comics(I'm also a big fan of their works)
Here is the link to my DeviantArt page and the "Gege the Average Joe Barbarian" folder(with english explanation for each page,for texts are all in french,sorry). If you want to have a glance at it...by the way I'm an hobbyist penciler,I won't mind(or cast any curse^^) if you don't like my work!
By Ishtar's Girdle...
Bye

By Ishtar's Girdle, indeed! Enjoy...

Conan the Barbarian Movie Flubs!

2012-01-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

CROM! reader and all around savage badass, Rrozum, sent me a couple of links to lists of flubs from the latest Conan movie installment, and I'm just now getting around to posting them (sorry, Rrozum, I swear I wasn't ignoring you!). I copy and pasted them here, or you can see the original list HERE or HERE.

Continuity

During the chase scene when Tamara flees the temple, Conan's sword repeatedly disappears and reappears in between shots as he pursues Remo.

During the chase scene; just after Tamara disconnects the coach that she was riding in from the horses that she is now riding, you see the coach tip forward, roll and shatter apart. In the next shot the coach is whole again and lands on the front and shatters for a second time.

During the fight on the ship, it starts of being night, but ends being with the sun out.

Crew or equipment visible

During the fight on the ship, Conan is thrown back onto a raised platform in the cargo hold. When his legs fly up you can see the rubber soles of the athletic shoes built into his leggings at 1h:12m:28s

Plot holes

With no apparent way of knowing where Conan's ship has laid anchor, and with no way of knowing that Tamara would be on land with Conan and not still aboard the ship, Zim's soldiers nevertheless are able to set up a perfect ambush to try and capture Tamara after she leaves Conan's chamber and wanders through the forest.

When Tamara is ambushed by Zim's men in the forest, she does not notice the first rider until he is only a few yards from her, despite having a very clear line of sight for a few hundred yards in every direction, and despite there being no noise louder than birdsong to mask the thundering hooves of a galloping horse. Similarly, the foot-soldiers were quite clearly not lying in wait - the trees in the forest are too skinny for them to have hidden behind and there is no other cover around - yet they are upon Tamara within a couple of seconds of the horseman attacking.

Revealing mistakes

When Conan and Tamara are waiting for Khalar Zym at the Outpost of Shaipur, the actress playing Tamara is replaced by a body double in two blurred shots. Her hair and height is the same, but her facial features are slightly different.

During the fight with Zym, Conan falls backwards onto an obviously rubber rock.

In the climax when Khalar Zym and Conan are fighting, Conan hits Zym on his face with the back of his sword and he bleeds. Then at 1:38:13, Zym is shown with no blood on his face, but in the subsequent scene at 1:38:18, the blood is back on his face.

Conan Fan Art by Ostoja Mitric!

2012-01-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

One thing I love is seeing all of the killer fan art being done out there by the minions of Crom. Today I got an email from Ostoja Mitric, a forestry worker from Croatia, who is no slouch when it comes to drawing the greatest son of Cimmeria. He sent along some of his pencil sketches and I just had to share them here. Thanks Ostoja! And keep up the amazing work!

The Coming of Conan....

2012-01-24T16:20:00.001-08:00

In 1968 John Buscema and his brother Sal drew one of the greatest comic books in the history of comicdom. In that comic book there was an unknown supporting character who is very familiar looking. Many people know that John Buscema was tagged to draw the new title CONAN the barbarian due out in 1970 but Stan Lee chose not to put him on the book and thus another worthy superstar was off to a running start. A few years later John Buscema would take over the book anyway...but many people wondered...Just what would CONAN have looked like?
If you take a gander at these select panels from SILVER SURFER 4 published in 1968 you can see for yourself. CONAN would have looked exactly like we know and love him. Seen in these panels an anonymous gladiator resembles our stalwart cimmerian. See the second image of him drawing his sword and then hurling it. How many times have we seen that scenario?
John Buscema actually had a chance at drawing the COMING OF CONAN in a later issue of SAVAGE SWORD following the same script as CTB # 1 that Barry Smith followed and folks...that is perhaps 97% spot on what the actual factual comic book released in 1970 would have looked like. A picture is worth a thousand words....right? You be the Judge.

Two days ago January 22nd was the Birthday of Robert E. Howard the Father of Conan and the man who created the genre known as Sword and Sorcery. Sure...We can argue point for point if he is indeed the father of the Genre but in my eyes...he simply is. It is to him that I dedicate this post. Happy Birthday Mr. Howard.

" Rob Roy the Destroyer "

2012-01-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

See Scottish legend ROB ROY demonstrate the sword fighting technique known as the Priest's robe cut...as you can plainly see although Mr. Cunningham knows his way around with a rapier there is no denying a well placed Claymoore blow to the collar bone can really ruin one's day.
This sword fight is one of my all time favorite sword fights in the history of filmdom. NO it is not an action packed swing for swing , blow for blow account of a fast paced major hack and slash battle. But yet it is a dramatic representation of the way it was back in the dueling days. The larger stronger combatant won this one because he had an advantage while being at a disadvantage. He did not have the skill to out match his opponent but his power came in handy when the moment was right. In cold calculating fashion when he appeared down and out he saw his opening and ended the battle leaving ARCHIE with a sucking , gaping chest wound. I love the way this YOUTUBE poster used the theme from STAR TREK'S EPIC battle between KIRK and SPOCK in the "Amok time" episode to full advantage. It works perfectly. I only kinda wish that they used the Basil Poledouris score from CONAN instead. No this is not CONAN...but Mr. Mac is of the same lineage as our stalwart Cimmerian. Of course CONAN would have ended this duel a bit quicker...instead of grabbing the sword he would have ripped the arm from the socket and skewered his opponent with both sword and arm...but the results would have been the same.

More CONAN fan art

2012-01-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

This piece comes from ME..Mikeyboy...or Michael John Destasio for those of you who are familiar with me in OTHER circles. I bought some ink brush pens and wanted to test them out. So I found a random CONAN drawing on the web. I am not sure who it was drawn by but it's from a sketch card...some artists sell them at cons and some companies give them as prizes. I wanted to take up as much space on the paper as possible and use every pen for every little different texture I could possibly think of. ( The large black area was done with a white board marker , they spread out nicely ) Being that it was from a sketch card there were a lot of areas in the drawing that were hazy and pretty much unformed and ambiguous. So I noodled around over every little pencil line. Mind you this ink testing and study was done right on the printed image lifted from the web. Then I went into my pc's paint program and whipped up this paste up MOCK cover ( If you look close I signed the sword )....We will still accept any fan art anyone would like to share. Please E-mail Reis with any art you'd like to share with the followers of CROM!

2012 Conan Calendar - January

2012-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

(Click to view full size. I'll post a new one every month.)

Groo vs Conan Coming in April!

2012-01-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our greatly-missed contributor, Cromsblood, brought this up almost a year ago, and now it's finally coming to pass! Groo vs Conan (a comic that would have probably made my brain melt out of my ears had it come out when I was 12) is coming in April, 2012! I can't wait! This is what is best in life! To crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to taste the awesomeness of the cheese dip!

10 years have passed...

2012-01-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

It was on this date 10 years ago that John Buscema passed away. His work is his legacy and we will never forget.
Family man , dedicated Husband , legendary artist and Teddy bear. He inspired many and continues to do so. We'll never forget you rest in peace Big John.

Original cover to KULL # 1

2012-01-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

Marie Severin really came and saved the day on this one...Here you can see the original Ross Andru and Sal Buscema cover before Marie was called in to do a paste up job. Now I'd always thought it was brother John who did the embellishments for the cover to #1 but...alas like so many other things in life I'm wrong about...there you have it. Ross's original layout was damned cool but it was lacking something dynamic and Marie...came in an knocked it out of the park

One cool cover...two versions and 3 fantastic artists

Bruce Timm ( KULL ) recreation

2012-01-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

Bruce is the man...I really wish he'd do a CONAN cartoon. If they did a semi serious cartoon...sort of like BATMAN the animated series ( More Bruce Timm ) they'd nail it! I'm loving the work here. He's really a multi talented do it all kind of artist. I'd love to see a complete Conan comic book series by Bruce. It's just that he's got so much going on with working on television contracts and I don't know if they could pay the man his deserved scale.

But HECK if he wanted to he'd just do it. He has that kind of pull and clout. Anyway enjoy this cool piece I found on Comicartfans.com.

CONAN : " En Francais!"

2012-01-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

If'n you head over to ebay you still might be able to score yourself a few of these French reprint editions. Who don't love foreign reprints of CONAN comics...It's always exciting to see some of the coolest Conan covers in a different language! Despite the fact that these ebay photo's are poor quality you still get a real good idea what the folks over there were reading practically at the same time we were. ( Back in the 70's and 80's ) I would love to have any one of these in my collection of Conan coolness.

Conan is a world wide household name and everyone from pole to pole knows who he is!

"The Axes of CONAN"

2011-12-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Over at Random happenstance the blog. random-happenstance.blogspot.com - I found this cool little parody. I took it upon myself to share the humorous strip put together by that blogs Administrator...it is quite funny. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year from all of us!

2011-12-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

Borrowed this piece from :
The Amalgam Age of Comics ...a very awesome blog you should all check out. It is a busy time of year with people rushing to and fro and brack and froth and we just want to wish everyone well and a safe and healthy and extremely Happy New Year come what may! Remember ...CROM is watching over you and will let you wander off into the cold all by yourself to freeze to death if you're not paying attention. So CRUSH YOUR ENEMIES , bundle up and be safe!

CONAN Movie special cover by Earl Norem

2011-12-16T14:14:00.000-08:00

I wanted to break the streak of parody posts ( Not that it's just not funny but after the Cuomo thing I had to change the pace. ) But I wanted to share this awesome Earl Norem cover on the paperback version of the Marvel comics Conan the barbarian movie adaptation with interiors of course by John Buscema. The Marvel super special contains the same art. The back cover is also just as awesome as the montage piece by Buscema makes a nifty back cover. Norem's version of Arnold's likeness is also pretty damned cool too. I read this book more often than I do the magazine and I almost never touch the 2 part comic book. Norem's interpretation of the famous Movie poster is in my opinion just as good if not better. I am certainly glad they issued the book with a different cover. Seeing Earl's painting brings a certain thrill and chill...it brings me right back to the day when Conan the Barbarian hit the screens for the first time. Probably the coolest movie ever...EVER!!!

CUOMO the Conqueror? Not brand Blechh!!!

2011-12-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

I was reading the Daily News yesterday and came across this photo of Arnold's body with Governor of NY Andrew Cuomo's face shopped in. Lets just say...it aint right. Apparently GQ magazine ran an article on The Governor and in it...of course former Governor Shwarzenegger is mentioned as well as NJ Governor Christie and President of the U.S.A , Obama. Is the magazine worth the money to go get it because of this photo...not to me. But someone I'm sure who is motivated by politics and CONAN maybe would want to go get it and read the article. I'm just sharing because...it's a funny picture. Like I said...It just don't look right!

" This aint CONAN the Barbarian "

2011-12-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Over at that adult oriented site "Hustler dot com" ( I disguised the link pretty clever like eh? ) They have a preview of the new adult oriented parody of everyones favorite Sword swinging barbarian getting himself into all kinds of mischief. We're all adults here...so...for those of you who are interested check it out. At least it's not BONAN!

Another Conan Movie Giveaway!

2011-12-08T20:47:00.001-08:00

There have been several Conan Blu-Ray combo pack giveaways on the internet of late, and I've been trying to keep Crom! readers abreast of 'em as I see 'em (contests, not breasts), but unfortunately the last couple that I came across were already past the deadline for entry.

I've just spotted this over at Radiofree.com that includes some signed swag, and it just might be of interest to YOU!

"To commemorate the Blu-ray/DVD debut of Conan the Barbarian, we're extremely pleased to be able to give away a very special prize package to one lucky winner: a Blu-ray combo pack with a Conan t-shirt and a poster signed by the stars of the film, Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, and Ron Perlman! In addition, we'll also be giving out 4 Blu-ray combo packs and 4 t-shirts to runners-up!"

To enter their random drawing, simply follow the link (HERE) and fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Repeat daily to increase your odds!

The fine print says it's open to residents of the US and Canada only, apologies to the rest of the planet.

*** UPDATE ***

HERE is another contest courtesy of indieLONDON that our good friends just across the pond can surely enter and win!

" The Savage Sword of Commander X " by Jay Piscopo

2011-12-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

Jay Piscopo , Comic creator , artist , Author and Publisher is responsible for this homage/parody to our favorite Son of Cimmeria. Jay has a unique and classic style all his own. His work reminds me a bit of Alex Toth and some Steve Rude ( Greatly influenced by Toth himself ) Visit Jay's website and check out his products. This drawing right here sparked an idea. Jay ( Who through Dr. Mego ) produces his own COMMANDER X action figures that you can buy online through his website (HERE). You can also visit his Blog on Blogspot (HERE).

....next year the plan is to produce a SAVAGE SWORD version of COMMANDER X ( MEGO ) style action figure complete with furry shorts. I made friends with Jay on the facebook after I saw his Undersea super hero the SEA GHOST comic book. I felt the need to share this drawing with the good readers of CROM...be on the lookout next year for this new Barbaric action figure. I know I'll be getting me one. Dig it!

MARKAN the BARBARIAN

2011-12-05T15:05:00.001-08:00

Check out Mark here in this poster dressed as a Barbarian of some sort. Look at his fist going through that helmet.

Me and Mark having a little ( POSED ) arm wrestle at the 1983 JETS SWARM PICNIC in East Meadow NY. I was 15

Mark Gastineau number 99 for the NY JETS from 1979 to 1988 one of the most physically dominant players ever to step foot on the BATTLEFIELD known as the GRIDIRON. In 100 starts he racked up 100 sacks and by the end of his career he had 107 sacks...( 106 and a half actually ) at 6'5" tall and weighing in at 276 lbs he was a powerful and imposing giant among men. His prowess on the field was legendary he would tear helmets in half. Few men in football can lay that claim to fame. He once held the record for most sacks in one season at 22 sacks only broken within the last few years by former NY FOOTBALL GIANT Michael Straihan.

At one time he was married to Brigitte Nielsen ( who went on to play RED SONJA ) he retired from Football to spend more time with her whileshe was going through a tough time with Cancer. Don't worry she beat it. But his career was done. He tried going into the Canadian Football league but he did not get much respect from any of the other members of the league and his career in the CFL was brief. So he turned to boxing and he had a pretty impressive record but that did not last long either. Later on he had done some time in the Pen for drug possession and when he came out he tried going back to boxing. But at that time he was not quite what he used to be as boxers were all training hard to battle big men such as himself. He retired from that as well. Lately he lays low but has been known to make appearances at Sports card trade conventions and other public personal appearances. He is still a legend in the NFL and still has the respect of the league.

In 1983 I met him and actually had a photo taken with him...arm wrestling. This is shortly after a bar fight scrap he'd gotten into with the bouncer of a club in NY over ARM WRESTLING of all things.

An interesting little bit of History here. Sylvester Stallone actually wanted Gastineau to play the part of DRAGO in Rocky III...but for one reason or another Mark turned it down. ( Take it with a grain of salt ) During that time..STALLONE was married to the woman Mark would marry just 2 years later...coincidence? I think not.

That kind of leads to another similar situation between Mickey Roarke , Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa...Jason did not want to share a set with Mickey ( Take it with a grain of salt )...years ago when Lisa ( Jason's wife ) was filming ANGEL HEART with Mickey Roarke it was rumored they had a little on set romance going on....so...The part of CONAN's Daddy was given to Ron Pearlman. Coincidence? Hmmm...Don't buy into these old Hollywood rumors. Anyway...Gastineau will always be one of my heroes. He had that physique and size I always imagined would be pretty much what CONAN looked like up close and personal...and from Gastineau's performance out on the BATTLEFIELD pretty much what it would be like too.

Canine the Barkbarian!

2011-12-03T00:19:00.001-08:00

Crom! reader Mario first told us about Conan-alike "Canine", and we finally get a glimpse of the Hyborian hound dog in action (thanks to a prompt reply from an anonymous reader). Our first look comes from Cracked #231 (Oct, 1987), features the artwork of Gary Fields, and if you've ever visited his blog you know that Gary's got a real penchant for dogs!

(click images to enlarge)

If you are looking for more appearances of Canine, look no further than Super Cracked #32, Cracked Collectors Editions #72, 75 and 114, or Cracked #225, 235, 237, 240, 243, 256, and 257...this according to myComicShop.com!

WULF vs IRONJAW

2011-12-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

Oh , Maybe 35 years ago...a completely arbitrary guesstimate. A new line of comic books came out headed by former employees of Marvel comics. The goal was to give Marvel a run for their money. Being that Marvel had been called ATLAS comics at one time the name ATLAS was chosen as a dig. The comic books produced were high quality material by some of the best people in the field at the time. Standout comics included Destructor , The Pheonix , Morlock and the midnight men and TWO count'em TWO ...CONAN the Barbarian inspired characters. The comics in the line were done by Neal Adams , Larry Hama , Larry Lieber , Howard Chaykin , Mike Sekowsky , Pablo Marcos and STEVE DITKO! ( As well as several other top talents of the time ) The comic books themselves were well written and very well drawn. They were a comparable product to what Marvel was putting out then.

CONAN was at that time one of the best selling and some months THE best selling comic book at the stands...giving Spiderman the nudge from time to time. So of course other companies whipped up Barbarian characters to jump on the bandwagon...it's an old story we all know and love...DC comics had CLAW and so on Blah , Bla , Blah.

Lets fast forward all the way to the present day. ATLAS comics has seen a revival and TWO count'em TWO of CONAN's distant cousins are making a comeback...against one another.

My comic book store does not get many alternate press comics so..I have to stick with the usual super hero material. Lucky for me he gets DYNAMITE and DARK HORSE books...so I won't miss RED SONJA and CONAN....So As of yet I have not seen these new ATLAS comics..but I am on the hunt for them...( eBay ) Take a look at these awesome covers. Makes you want to go run and find them yourselves right?

If somebody beats you out on that auction..it could be me. Sorry.

MOANIN the BAVARIAN !!!

2011-11-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

From 1991 comes a CONAN parody out of Marvels comics' comedy comic book "WHAT THE ?!"
This particular bit of HYBORIAN HILARIOUSNESS comes from issue # 12 art by Bill Wray.

CRONAN the Beerbarian

2011-11-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

A Parody from Marvel comics' series "WHAT THE ?!" # 12 There was also another 10 page parody comic story in the same issue...we'll share that with you in the days to come. Meantime...ENJOY!

CRONAN the incorrigible

2011-11-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Another CONAN parody brought to us by Marvel comics from CRAZY magazine # 86....art by Joe Albelo in the style of Dick Browne ( Hagar the Horrible ) click F11 for a larger image

The art of Sanjulian..." A Witch shall be born "

2011-11-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

I like to visit Comicartfans.com every so often and look for anything at all I might be able to use on one of my blogs...be it HERCULES or SONJA or SHANNA related and I sit and peruse for hours sometimes just searching for whatever strikes me at the moment. I find some of the most amazing pieces of work just about everytime I am there. I appreciate the fact that these artists share the art so we can all enjoy it.

On my last visit I came across this Sanjulian piece and I was completely floored. The man has been a famous fantasy artist for as long as I am alive and he never ceases to amaze me everytime I see his work. Now...I fancy myself as decent artist...NOT A PRO by any means. But when I look at the work of Joe Jusko and the Hilderbrandts and Boris and Bell I know...there is no way in hell I will ever be a working professional fantasy artist in this lifetime. THEN I come across Sanjulian's pencils and finished masterpiece and I almost cried. The final nail was put in the coffin lid.

Look at his pencils before he puts paint to his piece....every stroke and line and bit of shading such masterful skill. I can't even believe my eyes sometimes when these artists are finished.

I do not have a favorite interpretation of CONAN on the cross ...Who am I to judge? I just love looking at the great work by all the legends...I wait for more patiently. I know I will never be let down. Sanjulian is a Master. This piece is amazing. Enjoy. ( Hit F11 for larger image )

Highland BADASS vs ZULU warrior

2011-11-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

I guess this'll fall into the " Not quite CONAN " department. I found this video on youtube
and the person who posted it mirrored the image to nullify copyright infringement as the video is owned by viacom. ( Don't really see how that would work ) But here it is ...Celtic HERO " Sir " William Wallace complete with blue war paint in battle against Zulu warrior KING , SHAKA ZULU.

Taken from an episode of DEADLIEST WARRIOR from the SPIKE network. Anyone familiar with the show knows that these battle scenarios are run 1000 times through a battle simulator program and the warrior with the greater percentage of kills/wins earns the title " DEADLIEST WARRIOR ".

They have already run an episode with Zombies and Vampires...Now...I'm waiting until they get to
everyones favorite Broadsword swinging CIMMERIAN! Hmm...Now the question...who would we put CONAN up against?

( P.S. If we are told to remove the video by reps from viacom...it will be done. In the meantime enjoy ! )

Confessions of a Conan Collector!

2011-11-20T19:54:00.001-08:00

Much like myself, it turns out that Crom reader and occasional contributer Bob Hir is an “IT Guy” in his early forties, but unlike me he has a Conan collection that many of us would kill for (that’s just an expression, don’t get any ideas or you’ll have to go through me first you hairy sons of picts!)

Not only was Bob kind enough to provide photographic evidence of his collection so we can bask in its spectacularacity, but he’s kindly agreed to chat with us.

Hi Bob! Tell us, how were you introduced to Conan?

My first exposure to Conan was by accident back in ’82. A friend and I were going to see “The Sword and the Sorcerer” for my birthday, but when we got to the movie theatre we were turned away because we were too young. My friend’s mom drove us to another theatre where they weren’t checking age so hard and we got in to “Conan the Barbarian”. Completely blew my mind, I haven’t been the same since.

When did you start collecting and what was your very first aquisition?

I got my hands on some novels - #7 Conan the Warrior, and Robert Jordan’s Conan the Invincible, couldn’t read and re-read them enough. The following year I was introduced to the comic (Conan the Barbarian #144) which years later I acquired an original page from (pictured below), and it went crazy from there. I would get my Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan’s from Osco drugs, and filled out my novel collections from Walden Books (I had a very active “Otherworlds” Book club membership there).

I'm guessing that your prized possession is either the Albion Atlantean, the Jody Samson Custom, or perhaps the John Buscema original. Which one is it?

My prized possession is the Albion Atlantean - you really have to hold one to feel it’s awesomeness. It’s #95 of 1000, I waited probably 20 years for someone to release one, and I’ve been to where they are made (Albion had a “Sword Fest” weekend), where I met Jody.

When Jody passed away, I wrote a nice comment on the eulogy page that they put up for him, and have an email from the owner of Albion explaining that the guys who work there who were grinding the blades were still working out the kinks for the first 100 or so, and Jody did a number of them himself...so I may in fact have a “Jody Ground” blade.

Next year I will probably make some kind of sheath for it - something in leather - I just can’t do one of the furry ones with the coyote fur, because I have two dogs and just don’t have the heart to buy anything made from their distant cousins (though if a pack of them chased me across a field, I wouldn’t hesitate to dispatch them).

Your other swords are pretty darn cool too! Tell us a little bit about them.

We used to make wooden “Conan” swords as kids (in the 80’s), and go “fight” each other in the woods by my house. We made armor out of sheet metal, and used Halloween makeup to do “orgy scene” camouflage…

The “IceBrand” Jody custom was an impulse buy, based on its fairly close resemblance to the sword from the comics…I’ve been pestering Albion for years to make the “Frazetta Barbarian”, and am first on the list when they finally turn one out.

The “Canadian Barbarian” sword was another impulse buy, based on its resemblance to the sword in the comics, from a guy who goes by “SaxonForge” (he’s got a youtube channel: HERE) . It’s not as pretty as my other swords, or as balanced, or as nice...but it’s a monster. I could easily wail my way through anything with it, and there’s no fear of scratching or nicking it.

All of your pictures are great (drooling)...it's a pretty safe bet that you're not a purist, but I can’t help but notice that you aren’t exactly a completist either…fill us in!

The pictures are from Sept 20, 2010, I’ve kept up all the Dark Horse releases (I get all the hard cover graphic novels collections of the comics), and have kept up the Savage Sword and Conan the Barbarian releases in soft-cover (latest editions aren’t pictured). I’m on a hiatus from Conan the Barbarian Dark Horse comic now, because I do not personally like the guy currently drawing Conan the Barbarian (Sorry Roy Thomas, your stories won’t be part of my collection because I can’t take the art), and there will be a hole in my collection, but, voting with the dollars. Hoping the Wood/ Cloonan run forthcoming is better…I wish they’d bring back Nord, or maybe get Simon Bisley to do a run.

The books of mine that probably get the most use are the Busiek/Nord hard covers, I read them at least once every three months, they’re my faves. I recently purchased a commission by Cary, which you guys covered on the blog (the Conan with the Atlantean sword), which is going on the bookshelf next to my sword.

I’ve read ALL the novels, repeatedly. My favorite book is "#7 Conan the Warrior"...I mean who doesn’t love “Red Nails” and "Beyond the Black River". I’m no purist though, I’ve really enjoyed all the TOR and other Conan books, Robert Jordan is my second fave.

The latest big project has been filling out my Savage Sword collection (the original issues). I’m about 20 shy of the full run and they’re probably the most fun to read, given all the different directions they took in it. I’m filling it out despite also buying the Dark Horse re-releases, because there is just something so good about the originals, and you get all the extra articles, and secondary stories. I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of dollars wrapped up in the originals, and about once every 2 years or so I read through them.

I probably have a 40-50% complete collection of the Conan the Barbarian comics (not pictured), it was just too much to drag out and spread out on picture day. My favorite two issues are 143 and 144, because they were my first, and the Titan Sword is simply awesome…

While I love the Dark Horse re-releases of the CTB comics (and am buying them), I will probably someday fill out the collection of Conan the Barbarian comics originals, because the DH re-releases are re-colored, and I like how they originally looked. My opinion, they went a little too “Photoshop” in re-coloring them.

If I asked you how much money I could give you for the entire collection, do you have a price in mind, or are you at the other end of the spectrum…taking this stuff to your grave?

No idea how much money invested overall, it’s got to be in the thousands, especially with the swords. No interest in selling anything, but you will know some day that I have passed on when you notice a mass sell-off on Ebay from my wife. That or I’ve lost my job, couldn’t turn out a new one, and am starving.

You're an "IT Guy", so one would assume that you have some interest in the computer gaming side of Conan, right?

I’ve been active on “AGE OF CONAN” MMO since its release, I’ve got a single character, “Kutchek”, 73rd lvl barbarian on Wicanna. I don’t play religiously, given one character, not maxed in 4+ years, but it’s a lot of fun.

Other interests Bob?

I’ve got a fair “Punisher” collection, pretty good other comic collection, large collection of “Zombie” related things, quite a few computer games (mostly fantasy, I recommend that Conan fans look up a game called “RUNE”, awesome Viking game), a decent Simon Bisley collection (every Conan fan should get a copy of Slaine), and every issue of the NorthLanders comic book (a Viking series that Conan fans would enjoy). Also, years and years’ worth of Dungeons and Dragons books (dating back to redbox and first edition)…

Great stuff! Our sincere thanks to Bob for all of this, and he's kindly posted the pictures above along with a whole lot more over on Photobucket (HERE). If you’ve got any questions for him please leave a comment…I’m pretty sure that he’ll be around to field them!

Hyborian Roleplaying: ZeFRS vs Broadsword!

2011-11-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

As a wee lad in the late 70’s, my oldest brother brought home this boxed set (pictured at left), and like so many other kids (and adults) at that time, it didn’t take long before I was completely addicted. Over the next several years my friends and I spent a king’s ransom on D&D paraphernalia, made the transition to AD&D and AD&D 2^nd Edition, and I eventually hung up the dice about the same time that the 80’s came to a close. Good times!

After such a long hiatus, a new found interest has been brewing inside of me (largely due to occasional drive-by's of sites like The Warlock's Homebrew, Grognardia, The Underdark Gazette, and A Paladin in Citadel, to name a few), and over the last couple of years I’ve been threatening my wife with the prospect of getting some role-playing going around the house…*ahem*…of the gaming variety. But with the butt-load of options now available, it’s hard for me to select one that’s right for me and my peeps (all of which have never played a RPG in their life).

I recently came across ZeFRS (yeah I know, I’m REALLY out of the RPG'ing loop), an adaptation of the original TSR Conan RPG rules written by Dave “Zeb” Cook…you know the one - Mikeyboy gave us a good look at his very own copy of it recently on Crom! Although it’s been deConanized (for obvious reasons), it’s 100% free and the introduction sounds like everything that I’m looking for in an RPG:

"Welcome to ZeFRS (Zeb’s Fantasy Roleplaying System), a complete rules set for gritty, cinematic, swashbuckling swords-and-sorcery role playing games. You won’t find pansy elves, drunken dwarves, or cutesy halflings or gnomes in these rules. Rather, here you’ll find hulking brutes of men throttling the unholy life from demons with their bare hands, voluptuous pirate women slicing foes to ribbons with rapiers as razor sharp as their wits, dark wizards who become just a little less human with every spell they cast, and monsters from the darkest bowels of Hell and beyond. This isn’t Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. This is Conan and Lankhmar.

In fact, the original source for these rules was a wonderful game put out by TSR in the 1980’s, written by Dave “Zeb” Cook and based upon the Conan licensed property. That game endeavored to capture the feel of not only Howard’s original stories, but the Conan comic books that were so popular at the time. It did its job well, and in the process gave us a game that was well ahead of its time, and very underappreciated. These “obfuscated” rules are an effort to put that system, sans anyone’s intellectual properties, back out there for people to use and enjoy. We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. See the credits page of this document for web links where you can find support and more information!"

I am though a little concerned about the size of this rule set when it comes to my group of newbies, as well as the endless amount of time that ZeFRS might chew up...which led me to another option that I found intriguing (and not just because of the cover illustration, which is pretty damn cool though)…the 1PG from Deep7, Broadsword!

Now I’ve never played a 1PG (and from what I've read, I can only describe it as about the lightest rules possible for a RPG) but I like the fact that it doesn’t require a large investment in prep time (or play time for that matter), and from what folks that have played it have been saying, it sounds like it could be a real blast! The product description, reasonable price ($4), and positive reviews over at RPGNow certainly make it sound like it’s right up my alley:

"The 1PG line gets the sword & sorcery treatment with this beer & pretzels fantasy game from Jeff Mejia and James Stubbs. Following the tropes of cheesy barbarian movies of the 1970s and 1980s, Broadsword is the most burly and robust 1PG yet! Powered by Todd Downing's 1PG system, this game is so simple you can play it with a beer buzz, a head wound*, or BOTH!

As always, the 1PG is easy to learn, quick to play and fully disposable.

* Deep7 in no way endorses playing RPGs with a head wound - please seek medical assistance."

I do realize that comparing ZeFRS to Broadsword is like comparing Conan to Detective Conan when it comes to RPG's, and I also can't help but think that there’s something even better out there that matches my criteria - which it appears I’ve established as:

· Affordable

· Suitable for inexperienced players

· Not overly time consuming

· Hyborian age friendly

Of course I COULD just hit the reset button so to speak and play the game that started it all for me, which also has a pretty straightforward set of rules…

Cheesy self portrait (via cell phone), or
recently discovered Area 51 photo...
...you decide.

…but one would think that after 20+ years I could find something a little more refined that meets my needs. I know that there are a few gamer types that stop by Crom! now and then (Reis included), so if you’ve got a recommendation, would like to mock me, or whatever, I’d love to hear from you!

*** UPDATE ***

Lot’s of great feedback in the comments section, below is a summary of the links (with credits) that need my attention!

Crypts And Things (ADD Grognard, Bliss Infinite)
Barbarians of Lemuria (ADD Grognard, James)
ZeFRS, ZeFRS Review (James, Brad, Turko)
D&D + Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes (Anonymous)…ok, now I feel dumb!!
The Hyborian Age (ADD Grognard)
Yellowdingo’s Appendix – Exploring Hyboria (ADD Grognard)
Pen & Paper Games – Hyborian/Conan RPG’s (ADD Grognard)
RetroRoleplaying – Microlite74 (ADD Grognard)
RetroRoleplaying – The Microlite20 RPG Collection (ADD Grognard)
Mazes & Minotaurs (ADD Grognard)
Age of Conan (mikemonaco)
Castles & Crusades (Dungeoneering Dad)
Free Resources for Running a Hyborian Age Campaign (ADD Grognard)

And last but not least, a plug for ADD Grognard, who’s gone that extra mile with his comments!
Eternal Keep!

Massive amounts of Conan Memorabilia...

2011-11-16T21:31:00.001-08:00

According to Guinness World Records, Robert and Patricia Leffler (which I one day hope to refer to as uncle Bob and auntie Patty) hold the record for the largest collection of Conan the Barbarian memorabilia...a whopping 4,670 items!

I googled around hoping to find a picture or video of this monstrous pile of all things Conan...to no avail.

It got me wondering if there's someone out there, a Crom! reader perhaps, who might be coming close to breaking that record. If that sounds like you, a peek at your Conan treasure trove would make us pretty damn happy...especially if it's all because you married the Leffler's daughter!

See for yourself here: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-2000/largest-collection-of-conan-the-barbarian-memorabilia/

Conan, “The Thing in the Crypt” Claymation!

2011-11-12T12:02:00.001-08:00

File this one under “an oldie but a goodie” (the same placethat I reside) and sure, the creators give Robert E.Howard a little too muchcredit for this de Camp/Carter inspired creation, but it’s easy enough to forgive thattransgression because who in their right mind doesn’t love claymation!

And don’t fret over all the Spanish dialog at the beginning, no translation/subtitles required.

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Conan in Comics Clip!

2011-11-12T10:39:00.001-08:00

Roy Thomas and some other dudes from Marvel that I don't recognize reflect upon the early days of Conan in comics in this short video which will appear on the Conan 2011 DVD/Bluray!

ComicBookMovie.com's got the exclusive, we've got the not all that exclusive link to the exclusive HERE!

* UPDATE * Another "exclusive", this one by way of NBC DFW, which looks like more of the same...what's the word I'm looking for...featurette?

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Book Review: FANGBONE! Third Grade Barbarian! by Michael Rex

2011-11-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian combines three things that I have always loved; graphic novels, stories about funny kids in school (the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, come to mind) and sword-swinging, helmet -denting barbarians. So imagine the sheer joy I felt while reading Mike Rex's book where he deftly rolls up all of these things into one single, hilarious, raucous, bellowing, zany, barbaric (and sometimes gross) package.

And he even signed it for me with a little sketch!

Fangbone is about a young barbarian warrior (named Fangbone, natch) who goes through the usual trials of trying to prove himself to his barbarian tribe, but never gets a chance because the rest of his uncouth brethren are too busy pointing out the fact that he is a runty little kid, despite the fact that Fangbone wears his courage on his chest like a set of plate armor.

The story kicks off as the army of Drool (the main bad dude) is about to attack Fangbone's clan in order to retrieve the severed big toe of said bad dude, which is the last remaining piece of his body that is needed to resurrect him. But Fangbone's clan isn't about to give that up, so while the warriors battle the evil horde, Fangbone is given the big toe and sent into another dimension by a sorcerer (ZORKO! GORKO! DORKO! DOO!) to keep it safe. And that other dimension happens to be our world.

After a valiant battle with an old truck in a dump heap, Fangbone finds himself in an elementary school, surrounded by a group of... shall we say... special... kids, who are all so odd enough in their own rights that they don't really give him too much grief about wearing fuzzy shorts to school.

Fangbone becomes quick friends with a kid named Bill, who's a little light on the confidence, but is nice enough to show Fangbone the ropes of living in our world, like how to flush a toilet.

I don't want to go too into the story, but suffice it to say that the evil army of Drool sends some nasties to get that big toe and Fangbone must enlist the help of his new cohorts in fighting them (doing wonders for Bill's confidence along the way).

My favorite scene is toward the end of the book when the go toe to toe (no pun intended) with Lord King Bat, who totally looked like the kind of creature I would have drawn all over my Trapper Keeper folders when I was in 3rd grade.

I also love the scene when a squirrel steals the big toe. But I digress.

The artwork in this book is simple, yet skilled, and the monochrome coloring scheme is brilliant, if you ask me. I think I've made it pretty clear that I loved this book and greatly hope that there will be more tales of Fangbone in the future, so I'll shut up now about its cover-to-cover epic-ness.

Now, in all fairness, I know that most of the readers of CROM! are more into the gritty barbaric novels of Robert E. Howard and probably less inclined to curl up with a graphic novel about 3rd-graders, but for the few of you that do have a child-like heart, or perhaps an actual adventure-loving child in your home, Fangbone is sure to be a major hit... like a beanball to the face (you'll have to read the book to know what that means).

For more about Mike Rex and Fangbone! visit is blog HERE.

Awesome GeekDad Giveaway!

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Win yourself a Conan the Barbarian 3D/2D Blu-ray combo pack along with a copy of Conan the Phenomenom: The Legacy of Robert E. Howard's Fantasy Icon courtesy of Geekdad and Wired.com!

Follow THIS LINK, enter your contact information, and WIN!

Thanks to Terry at The Robert E Howard Comics Group for the heads up!

Conan 2012 Calender Spotted at Barnes & Noble!

2011-11-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

I was browsing around B&N yesterday with the Mrs. when I spotted this classic Buscema Conan cover beaming at me from within a sea of kittens, unicorns, football teams and Dilbert calenders...

No, I did not buy it on the spot, but rather quickly added it to my Christmas list by jumping up and down and pointing at it frantically like a grinning idiot in front of my wife.

I think she got the point.

Frank Frazetta Museum Tours!

2011-11-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

I wander these hallowed halls in my dreams…

If I were a rich man, I’d buy up the entire Frazetta collection and take in on a world tour to any and every museum that would show it. I’ve been to the ~~crusty old~~ Louvre, and have often wondered why you would have this as a main attraction…

When you could have this!

Licensed Mini Replica Atlantean Sword!

2011-11-05T00:21:00.000-07:00

For those of us that don't have the financial security to go out and purchase an Albion or a Marto, ThinkGeek has a sword that's just in our price range!

"Fighter. Statesman. Thinker. Conqueror. He is all of these . . . and more. His name is Conan. Some call him a barbarian, some call him a destroyer, some call him a librarian, but one thing is certain: when Conan draws his sword, people urinate and poopinate in their loincloths. It's time for your mail to know the same fear, when you approach it with your Conan the Barbarian Sword Letter Opener!"

It should also come in handy for opening all the fan mail we get around here. Purchase yours on ThinkGeek (HERE)!

And in other news...

2011-11-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit of a Conan/Red Sonja love-in on the interwebs over the last day or two...oh the joy!

Richard "Frantic" Pace (you need a cool nickname like Dan, Richard...no offense) just laid down some amazing colors on one of Dan "Urban Barbarian" Panosian's recent Conan panels, and believe you me, it doesn't disappoint!

Head over to Richard's blog "Burning Monster: A Sketch-Blog" for the big picture, and stop by Dan's blog for a healthy dose of Conan appreciation while you're at it!

Cary Nord's been making magic again, this time delivering up a Red Sonja piece that's soft and sensual (with a touch of nervousness)...Cary can do no wrong! Take the jump to see it in all it's glory!

And finally, our good pal Benito Gallego has just posted not one, not two, but THREE pages of Red Sonja grooviness that you simply gotta check out! One sample below, the rest after the hop!

Awesome stuff all around guys. I'm grinning from ear to ear (to ear) right now!

Win a Copy of Barbarians: A Handbook for Aspiring Savages (via Superpunch)

2011-11-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Comment and win a copy from Superpunch, or you can just jolly-well buy your own copy on Amazon. Your choice.

The 17 Most Awesome Sword-And-Sorcery Movies Ever Made from Popcrunch

2011-11-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

Popcrunch has posted their list of...

The 17 Most Awesome Sword-And-Sorcery Movies Ever Made

Guess who made #1? (And #17 and #7, for that matter.)

KILLJOY : A Crazy CONAN parody

2011-11-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

This parody appeared in Marvel Comics' CRAZY magazine # 90 with a cover by Bob Larkin. The story was written by Paul Kupperberg and the art was by Bob Camp and Marie Severin. Arnold...well you know where Arnold comes from.

The Son of Conan

2011-11-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

TMZ (I can't believe I'm linking to a story on TMZ) is showing pics of Arnold's son with his former housekeeper dressed as Conan the Barbarian during a trip to Fright Fest. Frankly, I'm not going to look too deeply into this, but it does smack of a shameless attempt to dredge up a little publicity.Whatever.

You can read the whole ~~pile of sensationalist garbage~~ article HERE.

The SAVAGE SWORD of CARY NORD!

2011-10-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Check out this fresh commision by Cary Nord. It's a markers and crayon job on colored paper. HELL , this piece is ready to go on a cover as is! ........Talented guy.

Over on Cary's blog (cary-nord.blogspot.com) you can read the comments he posted regarding this piece. He calls it

" War is the business of Barbarians "

Mystery Thulsa Doom Sculpt!

2011-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

How awesome is this Thulsa Doom sculpt that made anappearance on the Conan Completist forums a couple of days ago? It was brought to our attention by Crom!reader and occasional contributor Xonan in a previous post (thanks Xonan!), andpictures of it appear to have originated on the A Cascalaaaaa Two forums.

I love the attention to detail and the menacing look of thislittle fella! There isn’t a lot ofinformation about this sculpt, but it is so similar to the 75mm white metalDoom miniature sculpted by Angel Terol and released by Pegaso Models, that one can only assume that it was the prototype for thePegaso mini, but it may in fact be a new one that Pegaso will eventuallyrelease, or possibly even a reworked commissioned version by Angel!

On a related note, I really got a kick out of this post overat WTFOREVER 21, where they compare this combo hood scarf to Doom’s ceremonialhead piece…

Especially the “…despite the print looking like a Cosbysweater took a dump all over it…” part. Ha! There’s still time to pickone up for Halloween…Doom anyone? Pleasesend pics!

Power Records: Conan the Barbarian - Crawler in the Mists

2011-10-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

A piece of my childhood I feel the need to share. I am aware that the audio is here elsewhere on the blog..but someone went to the trouble of putting together this youtube video...enjoy.

Draconia Conan Miniature?

2011-10-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Following a lead from miniken on conan.com led me to this thread on PlanetFigure, where there’s a picture of a white metal miniature sculptedby Phillip Damont for Draconia Miniatures that looks a lot like you know who!

I didn’t see the actual figure in question on Draconia’swebsite, so I followed the link to their online store and was even more pleasantly surprised to see this!

(Click to enlarge)

Because after a long hard day of slicing sinew, slurpingswill, and salivating on sexmongers, the discerning warrior always remembers topick up a lovely bouquet for the little lady.

*** Update *** The link to their online store has been fixed, and "Barbarian of Draco" is now up for sale HERE!

The Urologist!

2011-10-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most disturbingConan cover EVER, and the most dreaded of Conan's foes...the Urologist! This could end all prospects for an heir tothe throne of Aquilonia.

It seems most fitting that this was spotted on somethingawful.com

Tyler Bates – Conan the Barbarian 3D Soundtrack!

2011-10-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've read at least one review that said that the Tyler Bates score for Conan the Barbarian 3D was unusually loud compared to the sound effects and dialog of the movie…at my local theater the opposite was true - you wouldn’t even have known that there was a soundtrack (that is, until the ending credits rolled). Therefore I've been anxious to give it a listen, and ever since Jay Villian over at Hardrock Haven offered up this astonishingly positive review back in August, my interest has been at a low boil…

"Tyler Bates is back with a new film score for the remake of Conan theBarbarian. 300 (2007), The Day the Earth Stood Still(2008) and Watchmen (2009) are just some of the titles foundthroughout Tyler’s impressive body of work.

In this most recent screen adaptation, Conan isn’t as menacing physically,or nearly as majestic as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s portrayal. However, the newfilm score by Tyler Bates is epic and even bigger than its predecessor. Whilethe original film score by Basil Poledoris done in 1981, although a bit campyat times, is still quite good, the score by Tyler Bates maintains a seriousnessthat’s fitting and more complimentary.

All too often some film scores will deviate and fall short of their intendedgoal; Tyler does a great job maintaining his focus and direction. The new filmscore for Conan The Barbarian has a production that’s full, clear andit never gets muddy, even with the welcomed abundance of percussion being heardthroughout. In fact when listened to with headphones or through some upperquality speakers, the strings, wind instruments and percussion, draw you deeperinto not just the music, but into the storytelling as well.

The music takes the listener on a ride of vengeance that begins with the deathof a parent, and a young boy’s life being altered forever. It takes placeduring a time when kingdoms were taken, and men and beasts alike, fought fortheir survival.

Filled with melody and even tribal at times, each song from Tyler’s latestwork comes across like a chapter taken from the original Conan literature byRobert E. Howard.

Genre: Movie Soundtrack

Performance Credits:
Tyler Bates (Guitar, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar)
Dieter Hartmann (Dumbek)
Czech National Symphony Orchestra (Performing Ensemble)
Jan Chalupecký (Conductor)
Greg Ellis (Hammered Dulcimer, Ethnic Percussion)
Brian Cachia (Timpani, Ethnic Percussion, Kettle Drums)
Anna Davidson (Vocals)

Technical Credits:
Gustavo Borner (Score Mixer)
Tracy McKnight (Musical Production Manager)
Chris Bellman (Mastering)
Tyler Bates (Composer, Liner Notes, Score Producer)
Dieter Hartmann (Additional Music)
Ross Deroche (Supervising Copyist)
Wolfgang Matthes (Programming)
Lenny Wohl (Music Business Affairs)
Xavier Ramos (Marketing)
Jan Kotzmann (Engineer)
Willa Yudell (Film Music Coordinator)
Susie Benchasil Seiter (Orchestration)
Alex Tenta (Layout)
Damian Elahi (Music Business Affairs)
Andrew Rossiter ( Marketing Coordinator)
Jessica Myhan (ilm Music Coordinator)
Lindsey Huchowski ( Administration)
Timothy Mark Williams (Orchestration, Additional Music)
Drew Krassowski (Orchestration)

Track Listing:
1. Prologue
2. His Name Is Conan
3. Egg Race
4. Fire And Ice
5. Cimmerian Battle
6. The Mill
7. The Mask/12 Years Later
8. Freeing Slaves
9. Prison
10. Monastery Approach
11. Monastery Battle
12. Horse Chase
13. Priest Dies
14. Catapult
15. Outpost
16. Fever
17. Victory
18. A Kiss
19. The Temple
20. Breaking In
21. The Dweller
22. The Wheel
23. Cat & Mouse
24. Zym’s Demise
25. Conan Returns Home

Label: Warner Brothers

Hardrock Haven rating: 10/10"

On a related note, here’s a brief interview courtesy of Grammy.com where Bates discusses creating the score for the Conan movie. And look who’s conducting the interview, it’s Bill Gates! (ok, maybe not).

Rachel and Rose

2011-10-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Four...I mean 2 Great reasons to make sure you go out and buy yourself the CONAN DVD when it is released. Hey...I know it's an iffy flick and it took a dump at the box office but It's still CONAN and these Beautiful ladies...sure made it a lot of fun. Do it for the women. ;P

Conan El Alcarreño!

2011-10-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Paint on some abs of yer own and join Conan and company for some tales of highfalutin adventure in this short film by Antonio Ruiz of Albalate Productions...it's Conan the Alcarrenian!

Light silly fun, a great selection of music, and respectable cinematography make for an all round enjoyable 20 or so minutes, and Conan is pretty damn proficient with that sword! Here's a translation of the intro, which is more than you'll need to enjoy the show...

"There was once a land

filled with magic and power,

a land where only

the strongest survived.

Those who mastered steel

ruled the world.

This is the story of a man

who changed his destiny."

And hear this wizard mon, Conan don't partake in the ganja!

Part 1 on YouTube

Part 2 on Vimeo

Crom! A Conan Skirmish Game

2011-10-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all, it's been a while since my last post. I've been caught up in other things and have neglected my duties at Crom!

I wanted to bring to your attention the Conan Skirmish game that Doug over at Matakishi's Tea House, and he's aptly named it Crom! It looks very promising, it's free, and I know I look forward to trying it out!

Also there are a few fellow bloggers who are also involved in coming up with rules variations. Eli over at I See Lead People and Space Jacker over at Tiny Solitary Soldiers are putting forward some interesting ideas that can be used for the game.

So head on over and check it out, I think this is going to be a very promising game!

Speaking of John Buscema...

2011-10-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

As if that last post wasn't reason enough to be missing Big John, there's a whole host of drawings posted at http://buscemalostdrawings.wordpress.com/ that are being billed as "John Buscema: The Lost Drawings", and which may (or may not) have appeared in the fall 2011 issue of Heavy Metal magazine...

Some samples below, but you'll want to follow the link above for the real deal!

Link found by way of the REH Comics Group!

Another Joe Jusko Masterpiece -

2011-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ok so I lied...( It was a little white lie ) I said in the last post about the picts that I was not going to post anymore for another week or two...But...But...Joe Jusko e-mailed me this corner box painting. An homage of the original by John Buscema ( 3rd illustration above ) found on the comic books up in the corner of the early Marvel Conan comics in the early through late 70's.

So...I had to share it right away my excitement could not be contained. Joe Jusko is carrying on a tradition and delivers with feeling and passion. Thank you for sharing Joe...Hope you don't mind I posted your painting here on CROM.

" The Painted ones " Getting back to the roots - Revised

2011-10-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

the Painted ones... It has been established that Conan is of a Gaelic or Celtic ( If you will ) origin. His name alone is enough to determine this. But who were the Cimmerians in relation to who the Scottish or Irish are today? This is hard to pinpoint as the HYBORIAN age of REH was around 10,000 years before recorded history which is only around 2,400 years BC. That is a lot of time to pass…many things can happen in just 1000 years much less 12,400 years. So you have to take a lot of things into consideration. Different tribes of people settled in different parts of the world that were originally from some other area of the world. Vikings are a good example of this.

Xerxes wanted to be the King of the entire world and he roamed about conquering and making his what was once someone else’s. Alexander the Great is also guilty of this as well as Many Kings of England who let Power go to their heads.

If you look at a map of Howard’s world and compare it to a world Atlas you will find Denmark right where Cimmeria was supposed to be. But the people of Denmark are not the people who were there 2000 years ago. They are Germanic settlers who moved there and made that land their own. Like English people came to the U.S. and settled before the melting pot got to a full boil.

The mountain people who lived in the hills and in Clans and wore Blue war paint when they fought or hunted were called Picts by the Romans. Historically the picts were of Spanish descent. They migrated to that area and began a new ( If you will ) race of people. They stepped out of the sunny climes of Spain and settled in the Northern regions where it is colder and windier. Over time they lost their tan and their skin took on a more pale complexion. The people from that time took on pagan rituals and believed in a wholly different theology. But these folks were not Spanish anymore…they were Celts. ( Historically ) They lived in the mountains in clans and hunted and killed game basically living like the Native Americans did before the English came over and created a new land that became America and destroyed life as they knew it. They painted themselves up and had different animals to claim as their totem and worshipped Gods of elemental nature…( Sounds like the Indians to me. )

But wait…if these are Picts then…who is Conan always fighting? Who were those animal growling guys in the movie that 13 year old Conan massacred with their own weapons?

Those were not the Picts that we’re familiar with nope. That’s because that all took place 10,000 years before recorded history in REH’s HYBORIAN age. So they definitely were not of Scottish or Gaelic or Celtic descent. But then again…Neither is CONAN then? Conan has a Celtic name sure but his people were from another era. So we can’t safely say that Conan was a big Irish guy. He’s a prehistoric man brute. You have to keep in mind that people by nature were Nomads way back when and before they began settling down on one piece of land to call their own they moved from place to place as the weather changed. Sounds pretty smart. So the Cimmerians were a people who stopped and stayed and said screw it! I’m staying I’m not moving and this is my land no matter how harsh it gets in the winter. Now..Historically , what people are known for their stubbornness?... Italians.
Now according to memory if I recall correctly, CONAN was quite the hairy dude. His bare chest and body full of rippling corded muscles was full of thick black hair ( In the REH stories ). So we can assume Conan looked like a big muscular Danny Devito with a full head of long thick black hair ( His mane ) Now I am NOT claiming that CONAN was Italian that is not what I’m saying at all. I’m just stating that people moved around a lot back in them prehistoric days. The people that settled in Italy are the people who’ve earned the name Italians. But getting back to the Painted ones…
It was a clever device on the part of Oliver Stone to paint Conan up in the first CONAN film.

Usually ( Historically ) the paint would have or should have been a blue color. But because this was a night mission Conan and crew chose black…who knows when they started using Blue because we’re talking a difference of 10,000 years. So the ancient Scotts/Celts of the HYBORIAN age were in theory Conan’s people….as we’ve clearly established. But the picts Conan fought against were also of different tribes and beliefs. Painting their bodies up and piercing themselves and going into battle basically naked with nothing but a sword , spear or axe. That sounds like a Berserker.

Where am I going with this? I don’t know I’m trying to remember. In the film the “13th Warrior” the flesh eating Wendol a tribe of Bear men were terrorizing the countryside in a Nordic country. My guess is that this area was up there near Ireland way up North.

Leastways thats the impression I got. But I got the feeling that those Bear men the "Wendol" were Viking era Celtic/Pagan warriors living in a Clan whose Animal totem was a bear. Duh!

But in King Arthur the Painted ones were called the "Woad" these people lived in the woods and were fierce and brilliant combat strategists and tough as nails fighters. However the " Seal people " from the film the EAGLE lived near the water and smeared themselves head to toe in blue paint/clay. These warriors were ruthless they would kill their own young to prove a point.

Then we have Sir William Wallace played brilliantly by Oscar winner and totally nutso Genius film maker Mel Gibson. After having done a little research to confirm my curiosities about the Picts I found out that by Wallace's era the Blue war paint had already passed as those times were a changing and the Painted peoples were a bit more on the civilized side as time wore on.

But Mel added the paint as a beautifully clever cinematic license. It worked for me. I bought it.

Who the heck knows what was on REH's mind when he was writing up his yarns? He created other worlds and a vast array of characters. "Brule the spear slayer" was a Pict. Bran Mak Morn...Pict. But these guys were more along the lines of the " Wendol " But...If King Arthur had come across CONAN...he lump him right in there with Picts. But Conan hates Picts so Artie would be picking up his head if he ever called Conan a Pict...But I can see why he'd make that observation. I can see where he's coming from...so to speak. However you look at it...The Picts were the Celts. At least this is what History tells us. The peoples indiginous to the area.

Anyway...Happy Halloween folks...I'm taking a couple weeks off from Bloggin' on Crom for a bit. Congrats to Cromsblood and his wife for the little warrior. I hope I did not tick anyone one off as this entire post...is speculative and nothing more.

* Revision : I got into reading my ACE reprints a day or two ago which prompted this particular post. I like to read Roy Thomas' Forwards before I read the already familiar comic stories with art by Barry Smith. In volume 6 ... In my re-reading I came across a rewritten redrawn ( By Ernie Chan ) retelling of the Hyborian Age by REH rewritten for the comics by ROY. Now I read these before in the pages of Savage sword with art by Simonson. I was reminded of something I had forgotten. HOWARD makes it pretty clear. Cimmerians were the descendants of the Atlanteans and the Pictish tribes were the Descendants of the Lemurians. After the second great cataclysm ( 500 years after the first ) When the fianal bits of land dropped into the sea creating the inland sea the people of Atlantis and Lemuria migrated north toward the mountains.

It is pretty clear to me now that there were two different peoples occupying the land. The Picts were a people all unto themselves as they were a race of people whose line dated back to lost Lemuria. While the Cimmerians were Atlantean. Both races according to HOWARD were Ancient and were always a part of the landscape before the Cataclysm.

So I think it can be safe to say...CONAN was not a pict. I am satisfied with my findings.

Thank you Professor Roy Thomas for the education. I will take this as a lesson. I have read these things before...unless reading said books and articles and comics again on occasion. The information will be forgotten. So I'll make it a point to re-read my materials every once in a while to stay fresh. OK...NOW I'M FINISHED...later. ;)

It's a boy!

2011-10-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

I know, completely off-topic, but if you've ever had a baby of your own then I'm sure you can appreciate my enthusiasm! He's healthy, happy, and 5 days old! Mom's doing great, but we could both use a little more sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' 'mmopn .....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Feed me or die, jackal!

Konan the Kardashian!

2011-10-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Via MAD on the Cartoon Network!

CONAN the Destroyer lobby card

2011-10-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

I've see the film about two dozen times and I enjoy it thoroughly. There are some areas I do not care for. Conan is not his own comedy relief so " Lot on your knife " and the " Promise I was Kingdomed. " are just not funny to me. But visually...Arnold was never in better shape. So when he was wielding his sword and a battle axe toward the end there where Dagoth was being raised from his slumber I was diggin' it. Conan was BADASS! He was running around and hacking and chopping dudes to the left and to the right. What was cooler than that?!

On occasion I surf Ebay looking for posters or odds and ends or whatever I don't have in my CONAN collection of coolocity and I came across this lobby card. It's the end sequence caught in glorious bloody color. Conan has blood on his head and the wind is blowing and you can tell that the entire scene was just chaos as the battle raged on.

Well I caught the auction a little too late and it was already over. It must have just ended as I found it because when I went back to find it it was nowhere to be found. Lucky for me...I right clicked. :) ....I'd hang this up in a frame in my living room. Plus...Olivia is looking sweet too.

Manus the Demolisher!

2011-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Joseba sent us another little treat from the Spanish REH fanzine Sword (#2 of the 3rd era to be exact), an issue from way back in 1998 and one which featured comic book writer, artist, and a favorite around here, Benito Gallego!

(click images to enlarge)

I spoke with Benito about this story, and he admits that he's not all that proud of it, being from sooooooo early in his career. I was still pretty stoked to see it and get a glimpse at some of his earlier work. The story is short but a very enjoyable read nonetheless, and as a bonus Benito was kind enough to send the color cover for it, which never saw print and has never been posted on the internet before now. It's Benito's very first foray into the world of Photoshop...cool!

And here's the translation, it's Manus the Demolisher in The Attack of the Mountain Man!

(click images to enlarge)

Many thanks to Benito for this! I encourage you to stop by his blog Callaghan's Inn so you can see what he's been up to of late, and where you'll find many more links to his other work including some unbelievable Conan art!

And our appreciation once again goes out to Joseba for making this post possible!

Conan, the Bubble Gum!

2011-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you’re a Conan completist, this item might be of interest to you! Conan bubble gum courtesy of candy manufacturer Andic, which is based in such exotic locations as Turkey, Romania, and Russia. Here’s what the wrapper looks like:

And inside, stickers featuring Ralf Moeller and company from the 1997/98 Conan TV series! A few samples below.

And then there’s this…not quite Conan, but somewhat interesting nonetheless. It’s an 8 page comic adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s “The Temple of Abomination”, featuring that cagey sea-rover, Cormac Mac Art! This Russian translated comic (circa 1992) was printed on Turbo wrappers (gum manufactured in Greece and Turkey). It’s a little suprising to see a decapitation and an axe embedded in a skull…a little more violent than what we’ve come to expect from good ol’ Bazooka Joe.

What more can I tell you about it? Apparently it wasn’t all that accurate of an adaptation, which made the translation a little more painful than it should have been, but with the help of my copy of “Tigers of the Sea”, I managed to get it done.

I’ve gotta admit that I haven’t given REH’s influence in Russia and area the attention it deserves…there is just so much to cover and the language is so intimidating that posts like this will continue to be few and far between.

Conan Art by Liam Sharp

2011-09-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

For more work by Liam Sharp (including several Conan pieces), visit his DeviantArt page. Thanks to Ry Ry the White Unicorn for sending this along!

Keep your eyes on the road...

2011-09-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

...your hands upon the wheel of pain.

Seen on Something Awful's Photoshop Phriday!

New Conan Fan Fiction!

2011-09-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who enjoy Conan fan-fic, a couple of new stories have appeared on the interwebs of late that just might interest you. I haven't found the time to read them yet, but I am intrigued! Below, a synopsis from the websites in question, along with links to the free PDF versions.

The Dragon of Skar

By Chris Turner

"The dark exploration which picks up where the Conan the Barbarian 1981 movie left off. True to the spirit of R.E. Howard’s original sword and sorcery blockbuster, the larger-than-life Cimmerian hero takes central stage in this daring tale—with Subotai the Hyrkanian archer as Conan’s first-class comrade-in-arms.

A cave carved into the side of the mountain . . . a respite from a wicked storm? No, only a fool would think so! Terror lurks within. But can the Cimmerian just turn and flee the horror?

Not a chance; he is too noble a champion–he cannot let such sinister injustice prevail, for so many long ages as it has..."

Download "The Dragon of Skar" from Smashwords (HERE!)

Conan The Berserker

By Robert E. Howard & Charles Moffat

"Belit is dead and Conan strikes out on his own, wandering aimlessly. What he encounters however is black magic and 'The Black Monoliths of Stygia' and Conan is forced to unlock his own rage within the dark abyss of his soul."

Download "Conan the Berserker" from Lulu (HERE!)

Conan Pinball!

2011-09-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Early last year, Etiene over at “Selvagens Da Noite” showed us a Conan the Barbarian pinball machine which was built by São Paulo, Brazil’s “Rowamet Indústria Eletrometalúrgica LTDA” way back in 1983. Ever since then, I've been bound and determined to learn more about it, but there’s very little to be found on Al Gore's internet. One theory is that it’s a revamped Bally 1980 Rolling Stones pinball machine.

Not many good pictures of it either, so I used some photos that were available to do this mock up of what it roughly looked like when it was brand spanking new…

This next photo of it cracks me up. Where the hell was it taken,a prison? Psych ward?

I really miss that pinball wizard…

What I did discover is that if you download and install this "Visual Install Pack" from Pinball Nirvana, you can take this board for a spin! Here’s a link to the Dox & Maloti version (link) over at iRPinball.org, but I much prefer the Tab & Destruk version (here) from Pinball Nirvana, and it’s not locked down, so you can tweak it to your liking!

Well after a few hours of playing it, I’ve gotta admit that it’s nothing special. But try it out and decide for yourself, by Crom!

During my quest for more info about this board, I did discover a couple of “ultra rare” cereal box Conan the Barbarian mini pinball games from Argentina (here and here), which are more in my price range.

Etsy Drive By!

2011-09-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

On occasion, I head over to Etsy to see what’s being offered in the “Conan” department, and every once in a while I’m pleasantly surprised.

First up, a Conan the Barbarian (animated series) thermos made by Alladin from the early ‘90’s for a mere five dollars. Apparently never been used!

And looky looky! Conan, The Thing in The Cave (which was featured on Crom! recently), again only five measly bucks!

Also, all kinds of other homemade ~~junk~~ stuff made from Conan comics…bracelets, coasters, fridge magnets, wall clocks, a flask, a light switch plate cover, a garbage can. I’m actually liking that garbage can! It's just a shame that all those comics were slaughtered along the way.

I spotted this little gem a long time ago on Etsy, but it doesn’t appear to be available any longer…

...and the models they used to try and sell this Schwarzenegger Conan tee fill me with gigantic mirth!

the THREE Deaths of CONAN

2011-09-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was going to post an article I copied and pasted but instead chose to simply tell everyone and share one of my favorite Conan comics. The Savage Sword of CONAN number 176 , the Three Deaths of CONAN. The cover was painted by CONAN cover artist and mainstay Earl Norem...he aside from Joe Jusko probably produced more cover art for the series than any other artist. There are stories inside drawn by Flint Henry and Gary Kwapicz and the artist I want to talk about today , TIMOTHY TRUMAN.

Tim Truman has been working in the business for many , many years and has Created such ICONIC characters such as Grim Jack and SCOUT and has worked for just about every major comic book publisher who ever put out comics worth reading.

Something about his line and technique just draws me into the action on the page. I don't really want to give too much away with the story. I have included a plot synopsis and encourage everyone to go to E-bay or your local comic book store and find yourselves a copy of this magazine. Believe me you won't be sorry. Of course CONAN does not die three times but the art...in each tale is remarkable to say the least. Down below I have included some TIMOTHY TRUMAN Dark Horse CONAN art pages from I believe around issues 17 or 18. As you can see the guy is a talented Bastich! So tarry no longer those of you who do not already own this Mag! Go find one. STEAL it if you have to...it is mandatory.

the plot synopsis :

"Conan, searching for the Prism of Khorshemish, pushes his way through the Flaming Mountains and comes across a spooky castle. Inside, a very creepy and insane collector of human heads magically binds Conan and tells his fortune by drawing four cards, one of which will be Conan's true destiny. The first card shows Conan's life as a slave, betrayed by a witch-woman, and killed by monsters in a gladiatorial pit. The second card shows Conan at sea, surviving a shipwreck, but ultimately dying in the tentacles of a sea-demon, turned into a mindless zombie. A third card has Conan torn apart by a horde of undead. While the seer revels in telling the barbarian his fate, he doesn't notice Conan managing to flex his arm and gain the strength to hurl a dagger at the wizard, killing him. Conan can't resist looking at the final card,and chuckles when he sees himself as a king."

Enjoy and...happy hunting! - Mikeyboy

" Cimmerian Ale "

2011-09-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

Anyone thirsty? Another satirical CONAN piece I found over at " Nephite Blood , Spartan Heart " compliments of David J. West blogger extraoidinaire.

I could quaff me down a few flagon's myself!

Even yet another CONAN from Springfield!

2011-09-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

We saw the Springfield punx version. Now , discovered at " Nephite Blood , Spartan Heart " I come across this Frazetta -ish satirical parody of everyone's favorite Broadsword swinging , Axe wielding , Kiss stealing , Horseback riding , Wench whoring Son of Cimmeria ! It is pretty BAD ASS ! I must admit. Great work..whose is it? Come forward would ye please?

P.s. I feel bad for Comic book guy.

the art of Gerald Brom ! ( Rhymes with CROM ! )

2011-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

The following text was taken from Brom's bio on wikipedia...enjoy -Mikeyboy

" Brom was born March 9, 1965, in Albany, Georgia. As the son of a U.S. Army pilot he spent much of his early years on the move, living in many countries such as Japan and Germany (he graduated from high school in Frankfurt, Germany), and U.S. states including Alabama and Hawaii. Brought up as a military dependent he was known by his last name only, and now signs his name as simply Brom: "I get that asked more than just about any other question. It's my real name, my last name. I got called Brom all the time as a kid, and it just stuck."

Brom has been drawing and painting since childhood, although he had never taken any formal art classes. "I wouldn't exactly call myself self-taught, because I've always looked at the work of other artists and emulated what I liked about it. So you can say they taught me." Brom cites the work of Frank Frazetta, N.C. Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell as influences on his style: "Okay... Rockwell isn't the kind of inspiration most people expect from me, but he just painted things so well. To me it's not so much the genre but the way it's done, and you have to admire his technique."

Visit BROM'S website and marvel at his work here @ http://www.bromart.com/

The Savage Sword of Leonardo

2011-09-21T08:54:00.001-07:00

(Special thanks to Jboypacman!)

Valzonline - (Carlos Valenzuela)

2011-09-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Carlos Valenzuela an artist from Chile who has worked for several gaming companies and comic book publishers and has done work for Wizard and CBG magazine. I love the way he put the Celtic war paint on Conan. Awesome work. A talented artist.

Dr. Conan T. Barbarian, B.A. (Cimmeria) Ph.D.

2011-09-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

Dublin’s Trinity College recently added a new professor to the faculty roster by the name of Conan the Barbarian.

According to his faculty listing, the Cimmerian will be teaching “The Relevance of Crom in the Modern World,” “Theories of Literature,” “Vengeance for Beginners,” “Deciphering the Riddle of Steel,” and “D.H. Lawrence” this fall and yes, he objects to “the current trend for remaking 1980s films that he believes were perfectly good enough in the first place.”

Unfortunately, it’s only prank by some clever students, and it has since been taken down from the university’s site. But that could be a relief: applicants who wanted to study with the new professor were warned that “anyone found guilty of academic misconduct or weakness in the face of the enemy will be crucified as an example to others.”

Long Room Hub Associate Professor in Hyborian Studies and Tyrant Slaying.
Dr Conan T. Barbarian was ripped from his mother’s womb on the corpse-strewn battlefields of his war-torn homeland, Cimmeria, and has been preparing for academic life ever since. A firm believer in the dictum that “that which does not kill us makes us stronger,” he took time out to avenge the death of his parents following a sojourn pursuing his strong interest in Post-Colonial theory at the Sorbonne. In between, he spent several years tethered to the fearsome “Wheel of Pain”, time which he now feels helped provide him with the mental discipline and sado-masochistic proclivities necessary to sucessfully tackle contemporary critical theory. He completed his PhD, entitled “To Hear The Lamentation of Their Women: Constructions of Masculinity in Contemporary Zamoran Literature” at UCD and was appointed to the School of English in 2006, after sucessfully decapitating his predecessor during a bloody battle which will long be remembered in legend and song. In 2011/12, he will be teaching on the following courses: “The Relevance of Crom in the Modern World”, “Theories of Literature”, “Vengeance for Beginners”, “Deciphering the Riddle of Steel” and “D.H. Lawrence”. He strongly objects to the terms of the Croke Park agreement and the current trend for remaking 1980s films that he believes were perfectly good enough in the first place.

He is happy to hear from potential research students with an interest of any of these topics, but applicants should note that anyone found guilty of academic misconduct or weakness in the face of the enemy will be crucified as an example to the others.
Email: conanb@tcd.ie

Via

Conan & The Thing in the Cave!

2011-09-16T15:38:00.001-07:00

When I think of Conan, that enemy-beheading, jewel-stealing, wench-loving, blood-soaked barbarian from the Cimmeria, I think of children's books. And apparently that's what Golden Books thought of too in 1986, when they released this adorable little bedtime tale of a savage warrior running from wolves and battling an undead being in a cave.

The story is clearly taken from the classic scene in the Conan the Barbarian movie. Why they made a children's book at all is odd (but then again, they made a cartoon), but the fact that it came out a few years after the movies is even odder.

Note the other books listed on the back cover. I have several of the Master's of the Universe books, and will be posting them eventually.

So, enjoy this odd and rather simplistically-drawn tale of Conan & The Thing in the Cave!

Anyone recognize the artist that did the cover? Their initials are "G.D." The art is gorgeous, and very reminiscent of the great Earl Norem. If anyone knows, fill us in in the comments section.

Conan Art by Charles Howell!

2011-09-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

This piece comes from my good cyber-homie, and fellow Batman collector, Charles Howell (aka Chunky B). Go ahead... bask in its awesomeness...

To see more of Charles' work (and his toy collection), visit his blog at http://eclectorama.blogspot.com/

Conan Art by Tomás Morón!

2011-09-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

For more of Tomás Morón's art, visit his blog at http://eldibujantesinpoderes.blogspot.com/

Conan Fan Art by Salvatore Oliviero!

2011-09-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mike Hawthorne In living color!

2011-09-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

Back in April...April first to be more precise Mike Hawthorne put up this drawing of Conan and Hellboy on his blog stating that there will soon be a team up book and he's drawing it. Well everyone that fell for his April fool's prank and commented on his post received an awesome original piece of Mike's artwork. ( I scored a nifty CONAN profile shot ) But earlier today I spotted this colored version of Mike's CONAN vs HELLBOY piece. Now I am sharing with the merciless minions of CROM! It was too good to be true...as is this piece of CONAN coolness!

CONAN TSR role playing game circa 1985

2011-09-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Game book which has the same cover design as the box...art by Jeff Butler.

Half of the enormous Map which one day when the time is right I'll frame. art by Jeff Easley.

The other side of the map...with the Evil Sorceror and his pet Dragon thing!

Interior illustration by Jeff Easley...

Here is an ad I found on the web just so's ya get an idea what the game comes with.

Long ago in an age undreamed of I was a student at the " Joe Kubert school of Cartoon Graphics and cinematic animation inc. " I roomed in what they call...the Mansion a place up the road a ways from the building where the school is located in DOVER New Jersey.

Being away from home and having made a few dozen new friends all into comics and art and such we used to go trolling the back alley book stores and ramshackle shacks that sold new and used paperback books and comics.

On one of my excursions I came across this little treasure I share with you today. It's a CONAN role playing game. Played exactly like D and D...with dice and hit points and a Dungeon master and erry thin' !

I was never much of a gamer but the artwork is what I loved. The logo on the box cover by JEFF BUTLER and the giagantic map that was included and the interior illustrations by JEFF EASLEY. I was a great admirer ( still am ) of the art of anything CONAN! Check out the scans I provided for you and judge for yourself...a treasure indeed! ...No? Even if the box was opened and the dice were gone!

Conan Caricature

2011-09-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

A Jason Momoa CONAN caricature by Sebgecko. See bottom left hand corner of the picture for his site.

Joe Jusko…at 14!

2011-09-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Crom! reader Xonan for pointing us in the right direction once again! It’s a couple of pictures that comic book legend Joe Jusko has posted over at comicartfans.com that are cool beyond belief!

The first one, a photo of 14 year old Joe proudly displaying some of his artwork…

Now I could probably come up with something snarky to say about that picture, but Joe, much like Conan, could probably crush my skull with one hand...and neither of us want that (me for obvious reasons, and Joe surely wouldn’t want to have to explain to local law enforcement how my brain goo got all over his new shirt…right? Joe??)

Joe doesn’t seem even mildly amused.

And then there’s this, a better look at one of the pictures he’s holding in the photo above, ink and marker Conan awesomeness!

Conan in full riot gear, about to lay waste to an angry mob of lizard men.

Head over to comicartfans (HERE) for an even better look!

CONAN vs HERCULES !

2011-09-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was inspired recently to whip up an homage to Jack Kirby....being that Charles R. Rutledge from " Singular points " and I were mentioning that Jack Kirby never really had any CONAN material out there. So I too pulled a Rich Buckler/Ron Frenz and swiped/borrowed a couple of poses to draw up this HOMAGE to CONAN and KIRBY in honor of his Birthday recently Aug 28.

I was thinking after I drew it...man this needs some color and thought to myself " Hmm I've been working on a side project with Cromsblood...but he has a child on the way and he's very busy as of late. Then I remembered the Rudy Nebres " One minute later " piece from several posts back and how Mike Dominic from AIM comics producers of " The Brutal blade of BRUNO the BANDIT " colored in the artwork the very next day...it was an internet smash and can be found in several places...( Folks that was Mike Dominic who colored that in ) So I asked "DOM" if he would not mind doing this fun little side job for me. Sure enough the very next day VOILA!

I could not be prouder..thank you "DOM" You did a great job coloring and adding text to my piece! You are a great artist! I hope you folks out there like it. I'm very proud.

Kull of Atlantis Statue 60% Off at TFAW!

2011-09-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Get yours while they're still available!

Fanboy Comics Consolation Prize!

2011-08-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

Mikey won the big prize in the Conan 3D giveaway at Fanboy Comics recently (while I came in a close second) and my prize managed to evade border security, arriving in the mail today!

Yup, two Conan tats (um, I guess that answers your question about your missing tats bro). Since there were two, I put one away for safekeeping and was quick to put the other one on so I get a real good look at it...hell yeah! Should make for some Conan conversation around the water cooler tomorrow.

Thanks again Barbra, and thank you Fanboy Comics!

More Salvador Fabá Covers!

2011-08-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

Long, long ago, Crom! reader and occasional contributor Xonan had asked about seeing some decent sized covers of Conan comics which featured the artwork of Spaniard Salvador Fabá. I was visiting Tebeosfera again recently, and was pleasantly suprised by the amount of Conan related additions that the fellas over there had made, including these - a few more Fabá covers that you don't need a magnifying glass to appreciate!

Found HERE!

Belit/Conan Motherload from Mexico!

2011-08-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Just discovered these on Tebeosfera (here), a whole bunch of Cuentos de Abuelito covers that I've never seen before! And for good measure, a few new La Reina de la Costa Negra covers!

I'm not going to go into too many specifics, other than to say that "Cuentos" was published by Corporacion Editorial Mexicana S.A (CEMSA) in 1952-53, "La Reina" by Editiones Mexicanas Asocidas (EMA) in 1958-59, and then again by JOMA in 1965-66. See the end of this post for more info, including a link to the Muuta.net page which I believe is the source of these scans (well, by way of EBay I'm guessing).

Enough flapping, check these out!

Conan (Mexico) on Muuta.Net

Related links on Crom!:
Cuentos de Abuelito Reloaded!
La Reina de la Costa Negra Reloaded!
La Reina de la Costa Negra!
La Reina de la Costa Negra, Reprints!
Random Conan Awesomeness!

Happy birthday to Jack " KING " Kirby

2011-08-28T11:43:00.001-07:00

It was rough finding this drawing on the web...it took about an hour to actually find it. I finally found it on Ebay of all places. We've seen Kirby Conan drawings before. The one where he's swinging his sword across his body and the cover of Giant sized CONAN #5...but this one from the "Jack Kirby Heroes and villains sketchbook" is special...he drew it specifically for his wife Roz to present as a present with other characters in one huge beautiful sketchbook. I have a copy of the sketchbook but the copy I have has all the drawings in inked form by different pro artists. I did not think that the guy who inked the CONAN drawing did Kirby's pencils any justice at all. He was just not right for the job IMHO.

But here it is in all his DYNAMIC greatness...CONAN by the KING!

Frank Frazetta’s Conan!

2011-08-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

We received a very cool picture from Crom! reader Yongkiat Karnchanapayap, who’s representing the Conan contingent in Thailand with this - his ZBrush rendered, Frazetta based Conan!

Yong has posted videos of his model during different stages of development on Vimeo (here), and yes, you get the Marvel “no-prize” if you can pronounce Yong’s name correctly.

Great stuff Yong! We miss you Frank!

'Conan the Barbarian' review: Wreaking havoc and speaking in monosyllables

2011-08-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

It was a time when the sandy wastes were littered with the spent flagons of drunkards and the scattered gowns of harlots, and honest citizens locked tight their doors at night.

But we are not here to speak of “Jersey Shore.”

No, let us go back to a time nearly as mindless as our own, the Hyborian Age — found not in any history, but celebrated forever by the High Priests of Geek, who worship the warrior known as Conan.

And, you ask, was this the same Conan who lost the midnight battle against the Chin of Death, wounded Lopez the Mirthless and even still languishes unseen in the dungeons of basic cable?

And I say unto you: Nay. For today’s saga is that of Conan the Barbarian, who came from the land of Cimmeria, where men were manly men, even though they wore charming furs, and oft had the hair of women, and comparable chests.

And their land was a paradise, were paradise made of dung. But then a villain came in search of a magic talisman, and laid waste to their village, and slaughtered all but the boy Conan.
And years pass before us in our tale, and Conan now appears in the guise of Jason Momoa, who has arms like Ionic columns, or perhaps Doric, for I could never recall the difference. And he has one expression, which is to lower his chin and look up slyly, like Lauren Bacall.

And — upon my honor! — he be nearly as fearsome, though The Great Ahnuld would remonstrate, could he pronounce that word.

So Conan now wanders the land in pursuit of this villain, who is played by the great Stephen Lang, and the villain’s daughter, who is played by the oddly bewitched Rose McGowan, and the smell of ham is thick, but not unpleasant. But then Conan finds a comely female.

And so he kidnaps the wench, and ties her up, and gags her, for the courting rituals of Cimmeria are beyond the pale, and even beyond Charlie Sheen. But then the female warms to him, and they retire to a cave, to make the beast of flattering lighting.

Has Conan found perhaps another paradise? “I know not and I care not,” he muses. “I live. I love. I slay. I am content.” And verily, who among us can say he has not often uttered the same!

But then Lang reappears, and McGowan, who has the sharp and lethal nails of a real housewife. And the battle must be joined, and several hundred effects artists earn their pay.

And does it satisfy, this tale? In its own modest way, it does.

True, the sword fights are but blurs and noise. And the narration, which is by Morgan the Freeman, oddly makes one think of wintry nature films, and that prison picture that is forever on AMC.

But the landscapes are striking. The violence is stirring. And the sorcery — although it makes little use of its 3-D magic — includes many marvelous sand demons, and a giant octopus, and other pleasures that recall the days of Ray of Harryhausen.

And if this film is sometimes a feeble joke, and other times a great steaming slab of Cimmerian cheese? There are many who know not and will care not.

It is loud. It is colorful. It makes things blow up. They will be content.
Ratings note: The film contains much wenching and swordplay.

Conan the Barbarian (R) Lionsgate (112 min.)
Directed by Marcus Nispel. With Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan. Now playing in New Jersey.
TWO AND A HALF STARS

Reposted from NJ.COM!

Top 5 Reasons Crom Is Better Than Your God

2011-08-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ben from Canada sent me a link to this awesome article! Thanks, Ben!

Yes, the new Conan movie bombed despite actually being good, but Crom laughs at your box office! Crom cares not for your critics with their unfresh tomatoes! Crom is mighty! Mightier, and greater, than your god, no matter what god you worship. Here are the top reasons why:

1: Your god claims to intervene on your behalf, but then does nothing. Crom’s followers waste not their time with idle prayers! Crom is an honest god! He admits he cares not for your prayers, only your valour in combat!

2: Your god demands devotion, time, money, but Crom cares not for your sacrifices or worship! In fact, Crom’s followers know better than to disturb him for small things like sporting events, for his wrath upon disturbance is often great indeed. Crom only cares that you know the Riddle of Steel, and then if you do, he lets you into Valhalla, where you may dine with the greatest of heroes who have ever lived.

3: Your god inspires much music, and almost all of it terrible. Crom has not inspired much, for all who know Crom knows he smites the unworthy, but what has been offered has been glorious gifts to mankind! BEHOLD! Conan the Musical! Basil Poledouris’ soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian! And of course, the music of the only band worthy of the name Crom! Compare that to the music of your god. Crom laughs at your poor hymns! Laughs from his mountain, surrounded by metal of the heaviest kind.

4: When you die, your god judges your whole life and denies you paradise if you fail. Even the followers of the Aquilonian god Mitra, known to modern men as “Christians”, claim they have a simple test of belief in Jesus, but then claim if you don’t follow a myriad of rules, you fail the test. Crom judges all on his mountain, and asks but one question. “What is the Riddle of Steel?” He may also ask you what is best in life, but that would only be for first choice of mead and wenches. And the Riddle of Steel’s answer has been given away in a popular movie, so if you lack the wisdom to figure it out on your own, you can still get in by knowledge of the ancient film of Milius.

5: If you cannot live up to your god’s standards, your god will almost certainly cast you into a realm of great torment, or reincarnate you as a lesser being. Crom only laughs at you and casts you out of Valhalla. Crom is cruel, but even he has limits to the pain he will inflict. Yea, Crom's devils are more merciful than your god! Even the wisest of your wise men cannot defeat this logic!

Bone the Barbarian!

2011-08-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Relaunching comic books with new #1 issues and alternate takes on familiar characters is nothing new in the world of super-hero comics, with the upcoming DC Comics relaunch as the latest and greatest example. Rebooting without the baggage of old stories can add new life to characters -- or completely misinterpret them in very fundamental ways.

With that in mind, we've commissioned an original art series of Indie Reboots from Kevin Mellon (Heart, Lovestruck), imagining how some of the most iconic independent comics might look today if they went through the mainstream reboot machine. The classic all-ages Jeff Smith comic is up next, as Bone becomes Bone the Barbarian.

Solicitation:

Exiled from his homeland of Boneboria, the warrior Fone Bonan sets out on a epic quest to find the mythical Crown of Horns, an artifact of great and terrible power that will grant a vast kingdom to any man who dares to claim it. But he is not the only one who seeks the Crown, and though dark wizards, fearsome dragons, and hordes of stupid, stupid rat creatures seek to block his path, they will soon learn that the Bone who would be King has no mercy for either man or monster -- save the mercy of his sword point. Joined by the warrior maiden Thorn, he must cross vast deserts and haunted valleys on the long march towards the mountain lair of warlord Kingdok, and the final battle that will decide the fate not only of one bonebarian, but the fate of the world.

Clonin' The Barbarian!

2011-08-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, Video Junkie reviewed numerous Conan the Barbarian rip-offs, a little something they called the “Clonin’ The Barbarian” Video Junkie Special!

From Ator to Wizards and Warriors and everything in between. pictures, video clips, and a whole lot of funny…here’s exactly what you’ll find after the jump:

Ator the Invincible (1982)
Ator the Invincible 2 (1984)
Ator the Iron Warrior (1987)

Quest for the Mighty Sword (1990)
Beastmaster (1982)
Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991)
Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus (1996)
Beastmaster: The Legend Continues (1999)
Conquest (1983)

Wizards and Warriors (1983)
Barbarian Queen (1985)
Deathstalker (1983)
Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987)
Deathstalker III: The Warriors from Hell (1988)
Deathstalker IV: Match of the Titans (1991)

The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984)
The New Barbarians 1 and 2 (1990)

Also some informative stuff from their “Never Got Made” files, namely King Conan: Crown of Iron, Conan III, and some details regarding the deleted beheading from CTB (1982)!

Jump: HERE (NSFW)!

Mikey's CONAN prizes! via FANBOYCOMICS.COM

2011-08-25T16:24:00.001-07:00

The officially licensed CONAN movie poster. You can't appreciate it until you see it up close.

Marique played by Rose Mcgowan...an enormous poster....the kind they put in the Multiplex

Rose's autograph! It's the cherry atop the cake.

This is the shirt and a BADASS shirt if I may say. But it's a Medium...I'm a 3 X. But it's MINE!

This is the temporary tattoo...they only sent me one. BUT the contest I entered said there were to be plural tattoo's....so I guess I'll just have to go buy the Dark Horse comics 100% MAN tats....lol

CONAN the Barbarian 2011 - Mikey's review.

2011-08-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ok...I have come back from seeing the film for the second time and now it's time I share my thoughts and feelings on the film. So here goes....IT WAS A SWEEPING EPIC! It was everything I expected and a little bit more. The minor critiques I have will go without saying because anybody whose read CONAN knows the certain things that are wrong that I picked up on and we really don't need to go bashing the film for it's shortcomings. Rather yet let us focus on it's strengths and it's positives.

The opening scene on the battle field where Conan is born and held to the sky is nothing less than an omen...( In the film ) CONAN is a warrior bred and born. He slays ( at 14 years old ) several pictish warriors with their bones and filed teeth and proves he is a worthy and formidable warrior even at his young age. I did not think any of these early depictions of his younger days were in any way shape or form ridiculous or something to laugh at. ( I understand CONAN stories and such ) The people who missed the point? Well..." To HELL with you! "
The entire film was like an issue of SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN with life breathed into it.
every gut bursting sword swipe and the brutal and deliberate way he dispatched his enemies after he tracked them down....( The pee coming from the noseless fat guy as he drove his finger deep into the guys face ) THAT'S CONAN BITCH!
Jason was a perfect fit for the role...his expressions and intensity really showed how he captured the character. His physique left nothing to be desired...the guy is a big dude OK! So stop comparing him to the esteemed Mr. Shwarzenegger. He's got his own deal goin'.
The character of Khalar Zym...as ruthless a son of a bitch you'd ever want in a villain and he played off Jason perfectly. Rose Mcgowan as Marique....whoah...creepy. She was still sexy in a tear your balls off and shove them down your throat kind of I'd do her anyway kind of way.
I can't say enough about the intense battle with the sand men. The non stop action and blood flying and flowing freely was just what you'd expect from having read the early "Howard" yarns and even more recent "Moore" pastiches. I expect no less....My poor wife who despises gore was cringing and hiding her face behind my shoulder during every battle for fear of getting blood spatter on her! ( 3D )
I would indeed like to see another CONAN film...LIONSGATE should really think about getting ARNOLD in there to boost box office sales. Perhaps as the villain in the next film or an aging Cimmerian warrior who CONAN goes to for assistance. But that is what people want, Big stars.
COME ON MAN! Morgan Freeman narrating! WTF ccould be better than that save for Orson Wells or John Houston or William Conrad or James Earl Jones! IT's MORGAN F'N FREEMAN DUDE! No one can absolutely say why this film did as badly at the box office as it has. It's like people avoided it and the 10 mil that it did make was from people like us who care enough to write or follow blogs dedicated to our hero of HEROES!
All I know is them there fools do not know what they missed out on. When I like a movie I see it several times before it's pulled and goes to home video. I saw Alien resurection 4 times and The first Brendan Fraser MUMMY film 3 times and each LORD OF THE RINGS FILM 3 TIMES....CONAN I will go see again at least 2 more times. ( Then when I get the DVD another 4 times )
If I had to rate this film on a scale of 1 to 10 Battle axes...I give it an easy 8 battle axes! Easy I say!
I certainly hope there will be another one as they say they have planned. With the right promotional campaign and a big name or two...there is no reason it would not do better.
Now...I'm drinking some beers and I'm just about done. I gotta go get me a couple more bottles. ( By the way...I will show everyone the stuff I won from FANBOY comics in the next day or so ).

ALL HAIL CROM , ALL HAIL CONAN !

Win Nifty Conan Swag!

2011-08-24T17:32:00.001-07:00

ComicBookMovie.com is giving away a king's ransom of Conan movie promotional materials, and you don't have to jump through many hoops to win big!

Here's the breakdown:

1 Grand Prize Winner:
(2) Tattoos
(2) Bottle Openers
(2) Shirts
(1) Dark Horse Comic Book
(1) Scores
(1) Set of signed character posters (Conan, Khalar, Marique)
(1) Final One Sheet

4 Runner Ups will recieve:
(2) Tattoos
(2) Bottle Openers
(2) Shirts
(2) Character posters
(1) Dark Horse Comic Book
(1) Final One Sheet

And here's the link of interest: LINK . You've got until August 31st to enter, so swagger on over and win yourself some swag!

Isn't it time for more Belle Chere?

2011-08-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

Via: Link

Conan Review from Unreality

2011-08-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

3 out of 5 stars

Everything you need to know about Conan the Barbarian you can learn in the first few minutes. A baby resting in a womb all of a sudden is staring at a swordpoint in its face. His mother has been mortally wounded in battle, and her husband, the tribe chieftain comes over to give her a field cesarean with his knife. He pulls the squirming bloody baby out of her torso and thrusts it in the air while yelling out toward the heavens.
Laughter abounds in the audience.

It’s up to you to decide whether Conan is the good or bad kind of absurd. There are some moments like the one above where you can’t help but laugh at it, but others where the over the top testosterone feels welcome.
After his battlefield birth, Conan (Jason Momoa) grows up to be quite a little badass. As a tween he’s already slaying bad guys, but unfortunately his prowess is stunted when his village is raided by Khalar Zim (Stephen Lang), a power hungry conqueror set on world domination. His plan involves using his witch daughter (Rose McGowan) to sniff out pieces of an ancient mask powered by the pure blood of a certain strain of royal women. The last piece is hidden in Conan’s village, and his father (Ron Perlman) must sacrifice himself defending it as Conan watches.

Where has Stephen Lang been all these years where he’s now all of a sudden the go to villain for everything?

Twenty years later, Conan has sprouted like a redwood and spends his time alternating between hunting Zim and doing random acts of do goodery like freeing topless slaves. In the meanwhile, Zim has been scouring the continent for the pureblood girl he needs, which says that his daughter’s sixth sense could use some fine tuning if it’s taken her 20 years to even get a whiff. Also slowing down the journey is Zim’s inexplicable need to travel in the hull of a giant ship transported across land by elephants. It’s assumed this vessel will somehow play into the larger plot, but its presence is never actually explained.

Conan unsurprisingly crosses paths with the pureblood in question, a young priestess (Rachel Nichols) who knows nothing of her ancestry. Together they join forces with Conan’s band of pirates and thieves to take on Zim and throw a stone in the gears of his plan for godlike ascension.

Conan as a film, and as a man, never lets up. I’ve seen more violent movies perhaps, as the variety of kills you’ll see here are mostly typical sword stabs and limb hacking, but in terms of pure volume of fight scenes, I think the film is unmatched. There is never more than four or five minutes of downtime between every new battle, and so I guess you can say the film delivers what it promises, nonstop bloody carnage.

Despite the way it looks, she is not actually a zombie.

But what it lacks is a story that’s in any way unpredictable. From my brief plot outline above, you can easily guess what happens, and there just isn’t a single surprise to be found in the plot. It’s probably best compared to another recent sword and sorcery epic, Prince of Persia, but with gallons more blood and a lead who doesn’t need to bother with trying to be charming.

One thing I got out of Conan was that I expect Jason Momoa to become a full fledged action star any day now. Not that the movie was good, but just seeing him onscreen, he possesses the rare combination of having an absolutely mammoth muscular build and I’ll say it, being a very good looking guy. This is opposed to say, Arnold or Stallone, who had the giant build, but had faces more suited for radio, yet still found huge success in the genre.

Unfortunately, Momoa hasn’t really been given a chance to prove himself in terms of acting ability, as now his two most memorable roles consist of Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones, where he averaged two lines per episode in a made up language, and now Conan, where the most profound line he’s given is “I live, I love, I slay, and I am content.” But expect him to start cropping up in many action films to come, as I think he’s unique enough to stand out and stick around. And I think when they do finally make that God of War movie, we’ve definitely found our Kratos.

Conan the Barbarian is as thickheaded of a movie as you can get, but that doesn’t mean it’s not entirely unwatchable. It’s far from an action classic like the film that it remakes, but it’s not the unmitigated disaster most would have you believe either. You’ll watch, you’ll laugh, you’ll grimace and you’ll be content.

(Reposted from Unreality)

Autopsy Report: LG’s ‘Conan The Barbarian’

2011-08-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Lionsgate execs today are despondent as they try to figure out what went wrong for Conan The Barbarian to only earn a dismal $10.5M from 3,015 theaters. “It’s one of those weekends that gives me a stomach ache,” one Lionsgate exec told me Friday night. “It’s a headscratcher, but it won’t kill us.” But they also know that with Carl Icahn back breathing down Lionsgate’s mane by buying up company shares, and the annual stockholders meeting scheduled for Sept. 13, this is a really lousy time for this secondary studio to have such a box office bomb. Over the last two weeks, Icahn has acquired 756,840 shares in Lionsgate, growing his ownership to 33.2% from 32.6%, presumably in his so-far-unsuccessful effort to gift his son Brent with a Hollywood studio. Last year, Icahn tried but failed to seize control and, after a brief respite, he’s trying yet again, all the while carping about Lionsgate’s profligate management and moviemaking strategy. Here’s more ammunition for him. First off, being in business with Avi Lerner’s Nu Image/Millennium film company is a dicey proposition at best. Especially when this reboot cost nearly $90M, which makes this weekend’s opening disastrous even if Lionsgate’s exposure was mitigated by the co-production and co-release. Not even spreading the buzz that previous Conan the Barbarian Arnold Schwarzenegger was treated to a private screening and “really liked it” helped box office, which didn’t come near to even Lionsgate’s low-ball expectation of $15M from a wide release.

This R-rated 3D reboot of the 1930s Robert E. Howard original source material, portraying the character as the Cimmerian warrior, was supposed to have a devoted fanbase. And tracking showed strong interest from African-American and Hispanic male moveiegoers. There seemed to be a ton of interest when Deadline’s Mike Fleming broke first news of the remake. That is, until Conan was cast. Even Lionsgate admits that the film absolutely hinged on finding the right Conan, and fanboys reacted horribly to then virtual unknown Jason Momoa even though he has since become a break-out star from his role on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Problem: “There’s so much history with this character and this brand they needed someone who could both really ‘own’ Conan (making him feel relatable for this generation), but also who offered continuity with what fans already know and love. Because there’s no competing with Arnold, Jason’s performance bypasses all of the comparisons, playing the character in a very different way than Arnold did and instead taking inspiration from the written source,” a Lionsgate exec emailed me. I happen to think the studios should have bet on a wrestling The Rock-style star with a ready-made fanbase.

The concensus among Avi Lerner and Joe Drake, who had successfully released The Expendables together, is that Conan The Barbarian didn’t have the “brand equity” they hoped it would. The pair had convinced themselves that the brand was ripe for a reboot and that the fans were ready for it, so they rescued the film from the major development purgatory it had been caught in for so long. The backstory is that Paradox Entertainment bought the rights in 2002 when the brand was hitting rock-bottom, with a bevy of licensed products in the marketplace but also quality and consistency issues at every turn. The duo’s first move was to take everything off the market. Then they connected with select partners to introduce the rehabilitated Conan via just three laser-focused licensed products that appealed to a core demo of young adult males (comics, toys, and a computer game). Marketing generated considerable awareness, with a significant Comic-Con presence (which included: talent appearances, bar invasion promotions, interactive fan experiences at the booth). They targeted Hispanic outreach with Momoa traveling to Miami. They also released an online redband clip to reassure young males fearing this reboot would be sanitized. But it was all for naught. In the end, the execution was just poor, poor, poor. Rotten Tomatoes showed only 26% positive reviews. The director was remake specialist Marcus Nispel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) and the credited screenwriters were Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Sean Hood, and Andrew Lobel.

(Article reposted from Deadline Hollywood)

Conan Art by Tim Doyle!

2011-08-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Via

'Conan the Barbarian' Lawsuit Seeks Character Rights

2011-08-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

Just as 'Conan the Barbarian 3D' opens, SLMI files a blockbuster lawsuit to claim rights and profits.
If anybody thought that Stan Lee Media Inc., the company which now operates independently from its comic book legend founder, was gone for good, guess again. On Friday, SLMI made a big move in U.S. District Court in California to grab back rights on the fictional character Conan the Barbarian and win proceeds from the just-released Conan the Barbarian 3D film.
The new suit comes from SLMI, which has had a rocky history since being founded by Stan Lee in the late 1990s.
Initially, the company looked to be on its way towards success after Lee assigned SLMI rights to his famous comic book characters. In 2000, the company added to its stable of rights by acquiring full ownership of Conan Properties. Then, the following year, SLMI entered bankruptcy, and the company's IP assets were diverted, leading to a decade of protracted litigation.
Last year, SLMI found its feet again after a Colorado court recognized SLMI's new board as the duly authorized representative of the company. Since then, the company has been looking to put back the pieces.
SLMI's latest splash is a lawsuit filed on the same day that the latest Conan the Barbarian film hit theaters.
According to the complaint, after SLMI went into bankruptcy in 2001, an unauthorized agent of the company purported to transfer its ownership of Conan Properties back to Conan Sales Co.
The company claims that the transfer of the "Conan" character is void because at that time in 2002, "the shares of Conan Properties and all other assets of SLMI were part of a bankruptcy estate and protected from unauthorized transfer by the automatic bankruptcy stay."
SLMI says that the defendants obtained relief from the automatic stay in March 2002 by getting a judge to sign off on a "Settlement Approval Order" but that this order was itself void because the defendants didn't provide notice and give 1,800 SLMI shareholders an opportunity to protect their interests by opposing the motion to transfer Conan.
The transfers, allegedly made by attorney Arthur Lieberman among others, is alleged to have constituted fraud and a breach of fiduciary duties. Lieberman himself is a defendant in this lawsuit.
In 2002, after Conan Sales Co. reacquired rights to Conan, it sold those rights to a Swedish company called Paradox Entertainment, which has spent the last decade attempting to revive the character's commercial value, including new comic books, a computer game, and now a 3D film from Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate.
In its lawsuit against Conan Sales Co., Paradox, Lieberman, and others, SLMI is demanding it be restored its rights over the franchise and that the defendants be ordered to turn over any money or property derived from the success of the character, including the newest film. Conan disappointed at the box office this weekend, bringing in about $10 million. Reports have pegged the budget as being anywhere from $70 million to $90 million.
Paradox couldn't be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, SLMI continues to wage war against Stan Lee and Marvel Entertainment over rights to Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor, and more. Similarly, the company believes that this IP was unlawfully transfered when the company was in bankruptcy protection. A California federal judge recently stayed proceedings, awaiting a ruling by the 2nd Circuit whether an alternative lawsuit in New York can be pursued once again.
Conan the Barbarian was created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s, revived as a comic book character by Marvel Comics in the 1970s, and became a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982.

(This article reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter. Thanks to Wayne for the link!)

More Conan Fan Art!

2011-08-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Got another email way back when from Crom! reader, Phoenix AZ resident, fellow blogger, and Conan fan from WAY back, Rory Hensley! A lot of cool stuff going down on his blog, Sketchy Characters, and he's sent a few samples our way, including an enraged Arnie, a red hot Sonja, and a Frazetta tribute that's oh so easy on the eyes!

This Conan (link) really caught my eye...that would make for a mighty fine header here on Crom! Sorry for not posting these sooner, buddy!