Fan Made Conan Digital Short!

Crom reader, and digital animator, Jim Drakopoulos, sent me a link this morning of his latest project, in which we see a CGI son of Cimmeria going head to head with a giant snow ape! This is great work and much thanks to Jim for sharing this with us!

Get your 3D glasses ready for the scene at the end!

Stumbling Upon Some Real Live Conan the Barbarian Movie Props!

So, as some of you may know, I am currently on vacation, having flown down from the rainy, gray skies of Seattle to the sunny, dry heat of Arizona, visiting my wife's Mom and just generally hanging out in her Dad's kick-ass vacation home. The land here looks like the arid scrub-lands through which Conan and Subotai trekked in order to reach Shadizar, talking about gods and eating fried chicken on the way.

Anyway, last night we went over to (now, try to follow me here) my wife's mom's cousin's house for dinner. My wife's mom's cousin's husband, a genial fellow with an easy laugh, turned out to be an avid movie fan, his house filled with all kinds of movie collectibles, mostly signed theater one-sheets, and many of them relegated to his "game room", complete with pool table and obligatory dart board.

While we we hanging out in the game room after dinner, talking about movies and whatnot, I noticed three swords sitting in the corner, just leaning up against the wall. Being a bit of a sword guy, I said, "Hey, I have to ask, what's the deal with those swords?"

He replied, "Oh, those were the swords used by the stuntmen in that movie Conan the Barbarian. You know that movie?"

Do I know that movie? ;)

He told me how one of his old buddies was a stunt man in the '80s and worked on Conan the Barbarian and then later went on to play Conan in the Universal Studios stage production. Apparently, according to this stuntman, these swords were used in the making of the first film, which he managed to hang on to and then eventually gave to his friend, my wife's mom's cousin's husband.

We then each picked one up and clanged them together a few times, had a laugh and then all the women looked at us like we were giant children, which made us laugh more.

Take a look...

The prop swords themselves were quite simple in design and construction, but made of a sturdy, weighty metal (probably stainless steel) with "battle notches" all up and down the blade edges. The handles were wrapped in basically the same kind of tape you'd wrap a baseball bat's grip with.

Having gotten a close look at them, I am a little suspicious about their story, not that I'm calling my wife's mom's cousin's husband a liar, but I think the origin story of these prop weapons may have gotten a little jumbled over the years. Considering what I have learned about the making of the movie, and the props' low level of detail and how much they seem to have been used (as in perhaps a nightly basis, with matinee performances on weekends), I suspect that these props were used in the Universal Studios stage production, and not the movie. But I could be totally wrong! This is just a guess.

Still, either way, it was quite a killer find for such a huge Conan fan like myself to stumble upon after a spaghetti dinner with some people I have just met.

Thanks for reading fellow Conan freaks!

Conan in Brazil! Part 4!

So, according to these killer comic book covers Marcos sent me, it seems like heroes of any theme are just published together willy-nilly, which gives rise to such gems as these issues featuring Conan alongside characters such as the Silver Surfer, Warlock and the Master of Kung Fu! Awesome stuff...

 

Conan in Brazil! Part 3

Today, our good friend MArcos has sent us some pics from this classic Conan the Adventurer sticker book. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that cartoon was ridiculous and all, but it's now part of Conan's collective pop-cultural history and all I really want to know is WHY THE HELL DIDN'T WE HAVE THESE IN THE STATES!?

Conan in Brazil! Part 2

We've got more killer pics from our friend Marcos, and this stuff just may be more priceless than the Eye of the Serpent!

Fist off, we see a few different Conan (or Kull/Koll) comics found in the land of Carnivale, the latter two clearly being comic spoofs of the son of Cimmeria.

Man, I would love to get my hands on some of these. And I know that Cromsblood is probably dying to translate them into English! Now you have some more comics to search for, my brother!

This next piece is pretty close to a holy grail of Conan collectibles as far as I'm concerned. Back when this blog was still on Myspace, I had posted about a mysterious barbarian figure that I spotted somewhere on the interwebs, and MArcos came to the rescue, explaining that it was indeed a Conan figure that came free with the purchase of... get this... a DVD of the 1966 Batman movie! Wait... what?!

What a bizarre combination! You'd think it would have come with a Conan DVD, which it may have for all I know. Still, this is a killer (if strange) collectible and I can't thank Marcos enough for sending pics of it!

More Conan from Brazil on its way, you Hyrkanian dogs! So keep yer eyes peeled!

Conan in Brazil! Part 1

Hail fellow Conan fans!

I received an email from a fellow Conan collector down in Brazil named Marcos, who was unbelievably cool enough to take some pics of his killer collection and send them along to me, so I can share them all with our dear readers on the CROM! blog.

I love seeing Conan collectibles from other countries as they are usually so different than anything we're used to seeing, often prompting me to ask, "Why weren't these released here in the States?!" Once you see some of Marcos' collection, you'll see what I mean.

He sent me so many pics that I decided to break it all up in a series of a few different posts, so expect a slew of killer Conan stuff all the way from Brazil to pop up over the next few days.

The first pics he sent me kicked off with a copy of the Brazilian version of the classic (and infamous) NES Conan video game...

Marcos even has the instruction book!

One of the pieces that really caught my notice was this brilliant Conan puzzle that was released back in the heyday of the Conan cartoon. I would kill a thousand Argosean sea dogs for one of these!

The artwork is actually pretty kick-ass, and reminds me of the classic HeroQuest art. Marcos was kind enough to put the puzzle together for us!

But the real gem in this treasure horde, is this killer Conan board game from around the same period. Seriously, why didn't we have a Conan board game here in America? NOT FAIR!

It's a little hard to tell what the game looks like from the back of the box, but it's enough to tease us Conan fans. Are those three-dimensional figure cutouts? EPIC!

That's it for today, but more to come soon! Extra special thanks to Marcos for sharing these great pics with us and thanks to you all for reading!

**** Update ****

Marek saw this post by Reis and sent us more pics from the boardgame Jogo do Conan, along with a bit more info...

Jogo do Conan was published by Estrela in 1996, it’s a two player game for ages 10 and up, and is summarized as follows over on BoardGameGeek (here):

Conan the Barbarian must destroy a magical talisman and kill the monster on the mountain, going across a forest and avoiding fireballs, before the night falls. It is really a two-player game, but the rules state it can be played by more players as two teams.

Check it out!

And if you’re playing Jogo do Conan for endless hours, pass out on the board, and your eyeballs pop open in the middle of the night, you might be faced with this!

Thanks Marek, Marcos & Reis…and sorry for not getting back to you sooner Marcos...big thanks for hooking Reis up!  Cromsblood.

**** Update #2 ****

One more from Marcos!

Interview with Benito Gallego!

CROM! reader, and crusading blogger, MilkManX, whose blog, Rebirth of Classic Comic Art, is devoted to the continuing appreciation of old-school ink-under-your-nails style of art that we all grew up on, posted a brilliant interview with renowned artist and John Buscema "student", Benito Gallego, whose work stands out as some of the best of the best and reminds us all of the heyday of Marvel's Conan the Barbarian comics.

You can read the full article HERE, and visit Mr. Gallego's deviantArt gallery HERE.

Super-mega-crazy-hella-awesome thanks to MilkManX for posting such a killer interview and sharing it with the readers of CROM!

We Have a New Conan!

And here he is, Jason Momoa!

According to the article on /Film:

Recently we heard that Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate were looking at three actors as possible options to be the new Conan the Barbarian in the film to be directed by Marcus Nispel. There was Jason Momoa, from Stargate: Atlantis; Kellan Lutz from Twilight; and a third, then-unnamed actor who turned out to be Jared Padalecki. Now two sources are reporting that the choice has been made, and it is Momoa.

Latino Review and Deadline Hollywood (the latter being the source of the original casting info) broke the news at about the same time this evening. This is the first really interesting news that has come out about the film. At the time Momoa’s name came out as an option I noted that he had a great look for the character — he’s physically imposing, but also looks smart and calculating. He’s not just some brute, and therefore a lot closer to Robert E. Howard’s original version of the character than was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Both sources report report that Momoa has been the top choice of Marcus Nispel, with LR saying that he charmed the hell out of execs and Deadline saying a few test scenes Nispel shot of Momoa in character were the tipping point. Either way, it’s an intriguing choice, and I’m happy to see that Kellan Lutz wasn’t chosen simply for the fact that he’s in Twilight.

Additionally, Latino Review is hearing that Mickey Rourke has been offered a role as Conan’s father. That’s just an offer for now, but we’ll keep on top of the cast as it develops. Shooting is scheduled for March in Bulgaria.

Before Conan hits, Momoa will be seen in the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, with the pilot directed by Thomas McCarthy.

Well, there it is, fellow Conan fans! Let's hear your thoughts!

Barbarian Flash Game!

I'm not sure if everyone got to see the link that CROM! reader Kaiser Crowbar posted for us in the comments section a couple of posts back, so I wanted to repost it here with a couple of screen shots.

I just spent way too much time playing this game, which seemed stupid at first until I realized how much time had passed and that I was actually having a blast! Give it a shot. It's free!

You can play the game by clicking thy mighty mouse cursor HERE! Have fun, by Crom! And again, thanks a bunch to Kaiser Crowbar for hipping us to this barbaric awesomeness!

Video Sneak Peek at the New Sideshow Conan Diorama!

Solomon Kane Movie Fight Scenes!

Barbarian Backpiece!

CROM! reader, Johan V. sent me this pic of his full backpiece featuring one pissed off barbarian, a dragon-beast losing its head, a horned giant and tons and tons of booty. Thanks for sharing, Johan!

Full Color Marvel Super Special Conan Issue Over at Diversions of the Groovy Kind!

Mad props to Diversions of the Groovy Kind for posting this killer Marvel Super Special featuring Conan and Red Sonja!

Click HERE to read the whole issue!

Custom Red Sonja Action Figure!

Found this sweet custom on eBay! As of this writing, it's still up for grabs, for those interested. ;) I just thought the pics kicked ass, so I'm posting 'em!

MORE Solomon Kane Previews!

Since We're Talking About the Solomon Kane Movie...

...dig this seriously kick ass concept art posted on CanMag.com!

Frazetta's Son Attempts to Steal $20 Million in Paintings!

Thanks to CROM! reader, Ian for passing this along!

From the Associated Press:

Pa. police: Artist's son swipes $20M in paintings

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM (AP) – 1 hour ago

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man used a backhoe to break into a museum owned by his father — the pioneering fantasy artist Frank Frazetta — in an attempt to steal 90 paintings valued at $20 million, police said Thursday.
State police charged Alfonso Frank Frazetta, 52, of Marshalls Creek, with theft, burglary and trespass after they say he was caught loading the artwork into his trailer and SUV.
The elder Frazetta, 81, is renowned for his work on characters including Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan and Vampirella. He was in Florida at the time of the theft.
His son's motive may stem from a family feud over the master illustrator's assets, according to a law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity because it is still early in the investigation.
Frazetta was arraigned and sent to the Monroe County jail. Bail was set at $500,000. Officials didn't know whether he had a lawyer yet.
Police said that Frazetta and another man used the backhoe to enter the Frazetta Art Museum in the Pocono Mountains region on Wednesday afternoon, tripping a burglar alarm.
A trooper who responded said Frazetta claimed he had been instructed by his father "to enter the museum by any means necessary to move all the paintings to a storage facility," according a police affidavit.
The elder Frazetta told police that his son did not have permission to enter the museum or to remove any artwork. Frank Frazetta's attorney, Gerard Geiger, said the stolen paintings were insured for $20 million, according to court documents.
Geiger did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.
Police say charges are pending against a second suspect.

You can see the original article HERE.

Conan... He Likes a Good Joke...

Conan Cover Re-done on Covered Blog!

I love the blog Covered, and their massive collection of re-interpreted classic comic book covers, but I love it even more when the day's feature is a Conan cover! Artist, Dieter Van der Ougstraete, did a brilliantly odd and fascinating version of an international release of Conan de Barbaar with a stunning amount of vision. I tip my spikey, iron hat to him!

Here's the original cover...

MORE Conan Movie News!

To add on to the news posted by Cromsblood the other day (great scoop, my brother!) and to finally pass on some info sent to me by intrepid CROM! reader, Rob Rozum, several articles have been cropping up alluding to all kinds of Conan casting, make-up and creature design and other stuff, from ComicBookMovie.com.

Stated one article:

It looks like Lionsgate's new Conan starts shooting February 2010 in Bulgaria. Marcus Nispel ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Pathfinder") will be directing. Empire has the casting breakdowns, which help understand the characters, and some indication of the plot.

Conan: 20s-30s, Caucasian, the last of the Cimmerians, out for vengeance on Khalar Singh, a formidable warlord and warrior in his 40s or 50s, for whom the producers are "open to all ethnicities".

Singh is looking for Queen Ilira, whose blood will help him raise a demon army. Ilira's handmaiden is Tamara, who allies with Conan in what sounds like a Red Sonja hot amazon role. And there's Ukafa, Singh's untrustworthy henchman for whom a massive African or African American is required.

There are also supporting roles for Conan's dad Corin, who teaches his son the Riddle of Steel; Fariq, Khalar Singh's son and heir, strangely described as a "proto goth-rocker"

Remo the evil wizard; Fassir, a monk protecting Ilira.

Lucius, a mercenary scarred by Conan dumping him into a fiery pit

An unnamed one-eyed thief Conan rescues from Lucius.

Artus, Conan's pirate buddy; and Cheren, Khalar Singh's mystical blind archer.

Now interstingly is the worry for Khalar Singh and the reason he wants to raise a demon army in the first place, could it be arch-wizard Thoth-Amon, he only appears in one original Robert E. Howard Conan story, but is mentioned in a couple of others.

Thoth-Amon was played by Pat Roach in Conan the Destroyer (Love that movie ).

I think this has potential but unsure of the director. I hope Conan finally gets the on screen treatment he deserves.

Another article when on to discuss the art direction and creature design and a shooting date:

Mania broke the exciting news that Scott Wheeler and Shaun Smith of Zack Snyder's comic book movie '300' are on board to do their stuff.

Scott Wheeler will be heading up the makeup department bit and Shaun Smith will be acting as the creature designer on the new 'Conan' adaption. Both of the guys right now are working up the creature schemes for the picture with the director Marcus Nispel (Of the Friday the 13th reboot fame).

Smith confirmed all the news exclusively to Mania saying, "as you might expect I really can't say much except it looks really cool and we are excited to be a part of it."

Filming is soon to commence on the epic big screen return of the barbarian hero 'Conan'. Production plans are to start shooting in Bulgaria next February.

And for those of you with stronger stomachs than mine, there's even talk of Dolf Lundgren being in the film. Mitra preserve us.

To read the full scoop, along with all kinds of other sweet Conan movie speculation and rumor, click your mighty mouse pointer HERE!

Thanks again, Rob, for send me the links!