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''Conan the Barbarian'' was a Marvel Comics title starring the sword-and-sorcery character created by Robert E. Howard. It debuted with a first issue cover-dated October 1970 and ran for 275 issues until 1993. A significant commercial success, the title launched a sword-and-sorcery vogue in 1970s comics. == Publication history == Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian'' ran 275 issues (cover dated October 1970 - December 1993). The book was noted for having a single writer, Roy Thomas, from issues #1-115 (October 1970 - October 1980) and then #240-275 (January 1991 - December 1993).〔(Roy Thomas' credits on ''Conan the Barbarian'' ) at the Grand Comics Database〕 It is also noted for being the signature work of artist Barry Smith, an industry star, who pencilled most issues between #1 and #24; and for the years-long run of artist John Buscema, who pencilled the vast bulk of issues #25-190. Interim writers included J. M. DeMatteis, Bruce Jones, Michael Fleisher, Doug Moench, Jim Owsley, Alan Zelenetz, Chuck Dixon, and Don Kraar. Thomas, Marvel's associate editor at the time, had obtained the licensed property from the estate of its creator, Robert E. Howard, after finding Conan chief among readers' requests for literary properties to be adapted to comics, which also included the pulp magazine character Doc Savage, the ''Lord of the Rings'' oeuvre of writer J. R. R. Tolkien, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' characters Tarzan and John Carter of Mars. Elaborating in 2010, he said, Thomas said another reason for pursuing Thongor was that Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee "liked that ''name'' the most. . . . I soon got stalled by Lin Carter's agent on Thongor . . . and I got a sudden impulse to go after Conan. Later, following on the success of the Conan series, Lin Carter allowed Marvel to publish a Thongor comic, which appeared as a miniseries in ''Creatures on the Loose''." After reading and enjoying the paperback ''Conan of Cimmeria'', Thomas contacted Glen Lord, literary agent for the Howard estate, and "I said we can't offer much money but it might increase Conan's audience and so forth, what do you think? I didn't have much elasticity, but I was so embarrassed by the $150 that I upped it to $200 without thinking. So that when Glen agreed ... I decided I'd have to write the first issue or so, so that if Goodman objected I could knock a couple pages off my rate to even things out."〔 The extra cost meant, however, that Marvel could not budget for Buscema, Thomas' first choice, serendipitously opening the door to Smith. Buscema, in a 1994 interview, recalled, Comics historian Les Daniels noted that "''Conan the Barbarian'' was something of a gamble for Marvel. The series contained the usual elements of action and fantasy, to be sure, but it was set in a past that had no relation to the Marvel Universe, and it featured a hero who possessed no magical powers, little humor and comparatively few moral principles." Marvel initially published ''Conan'' every two months. After sales of #1 were strong Marvel quickly made the title monthly, but sales dropped with each additional issue. Lee decided to cancel the comic with #7, not only because of the weak sales but to use Smith on more popular comics. Thomas argued against the decision and Lee relented, although the book became bimonthly again in #14. By #20 ''Conan'' again became monthly because of rising sales, and the comic became one of Marvel's most popular in the 1970s. Elric of Melniboné first appeared in comics in ''Conan the Barbarian'' issues #14–15 (March–May 1972). The comics were written by Thomas and illustrated by Windsor-Smith, based on a story plotted by Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn. Red Sonja was introduced in issue #23 (February 1973).〔Daniels p. 150: "One especially felicitous extrapolation was Red Sonja, a minor Howard character transformed by Thomas into a companion for Conan."〕 In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Thomas' work on ''Conan the Barbarian'' with Smith and Buscema seventh on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Conan the Barbarian (comics)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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