Definitely want to delve into some pastiches as well as some more of the originals this month. Perhaps some comics will be the way to go. Thanks for discussing Steve.
Reminds me of how I felt about Conan stories after Roy, Thomas left the Comics. It felt like the new writers at the time just didn't care to really understand who Conan was, and what his world was really about.
Yes, that is the question! For me, I kind of think the core Conan-ness (?) of Conan is what you see in the opening of Tower of the Elephant, or eg when he sneaks into the enemy camp and the princess is incognito there and he just grabs her and jumps off the window, that sort of … agency maybe? He is not a reluctant hero, the plot doesn’t happen to him, he rams through it! It’s usually what annoys me in pastiches, plus the weird morality they give him that is nor really reflected in REH (eg Conan never kills women even if they are witches trying to kill him? Why?). But there’s more than that, for example the ending gimmick in the latest Conan novel by Hocking (Conan and the living plague), that was straight out of Kothar or Kyrik. I guess there’s a lot of stuff… but I agree Roy Thomas was closer than anyone and I think it might be because he had the advantage of the medium, Conan feels very suited to comics…or maybe Thomas made it seem so. I’d like to hear more of your thoughts on this Steve!
But Steve, aren’t you unaffected by cytotoxins? Wait a minute, I’ve just realized YOU’RE CONAN! 😮 No wonder you’re always 28, with flowing raven locks. 😺✌️
Sucking the poison out doesn't work for snakebites?! Someone better tell the cast of Woody Allen's "Bananas!" That poor woman is probably still running!
As I recall some or all of those stories had been published before, in magazines, so the 'never before published' line was doubly misleading. On a reread I liked the glossary best.
Definitely want to delve into some pastiches as well as some more of the originals this month. Perhaps some comics will be the way to go. Thanks for discussing Steve.
Reminds me of how I felt about Conan stories after Roy, Thomas left the Comics. It felt like the new writers at the time just didn't care to really understand who Conan was, and what his world was really about.
Nice! I have two Conan books I want to get to!
Yes, that is the question!
For me, I kind of think the core Conan-ness (?) of Conan is what you see in the opening of Tower of the Elephant, or eg when he sneaks into the enemy camp and the princess is incognito there and he just grabs her and jumps off the window, that sort of … agency maybe? He is not a reluctant hero, the plot doesn’t happen to him, he rams through it!
It’s usually what annoys me in pastiches, plus the weird morality they give him that is nor really reflected in REH (eg Conan never kills women even if they are witches trying to kill him? Why?).
But there’s more than that, for example the ending gimmick in the latest Conan novel by Hocking (Conan and the living plague), that was straight out of Kothar or Kyrik.
I guess there’s a lot of stuff… but I agree Roy Thomas was closer than anyone and I think it might be because he had the advantage of the medium, Conan feels very suited to comics…or maybe Thomas made it seem so.
I’d like to hear more of your thoughts on this Steve!
But Steve, aren’t you unaffected by cytotoxins?
Wait a minute, I’ve just realized YOU’RE CONAN! 😮
No wonder you’re always 28, with flowing raven locks.
😺✌️
Sucking the poison out doesn't work for snakebites?! Someone better tell the cast of Woody Allen's "Bananas!" That poor woman is probably still running!
HAH! Oh my, call-back of the day!
As I recall some or all of those stories had been published before, in magazines, so the 'never before published' line was doubly misleading. On a reread I liked the glossary best.
"I liked the glossary best" - HAH! Oh my, everybody's in top form in my Comments today!