Barry Windsor-Smith, the most important Conan artist aside from Frank Frazetta, says the cover image above for the debut issue of Conan Saga is his "definitive" rendition of the character. To get a much better look at this lush piece of artwork check out this link. Smith also discusses each of the covers in this brief return to the character who he helped popularize (and who likewise helped popularize Smith in return). He talks about each cover, save for the seventh issue which he considers to weak to represent. I don't agree with that assessment. It's interesting reading. Go here to begin.
Here are the covers in question.
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I've never heard of this magazine before and I'd never have guessed those covers were by Barry Smith as they look so different from his early '70s artwork. The first Conan story I ever read was "Lair of the Beast Men" and I loved Smith's art on that but also the inking which might have been Sal Buscema but I really can't remember. Whoever it was the art and inking went together perfectly I thought.
ReplyDeleteI think it was Buscema and I agree, he was ideal. That story from the second issue of Conan was one I missed originally and had to wait years to read. It's a hoot!
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