Roy Thomas on Dark Horse and Conan

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Roy Thomas on Dark Horse and Conan

02/28/2011 4:48pm

My main tie with Dark Horse has always been what I call “The Robert E. Howard Connection.” The early days of Dark Horse were the late days of my own involvement with Marvel's rendition of Conan, my second time around. I thought it might be fun to mine some of the lesser-known REH creations such as Cormac Mac Art, Bran Mak Morn, and Esau Cairn of Almuric. Mike Richardson enthusiastically signed aboard on behalf of Dark Horse, and I got to work. The late E. R. Cruz did a fine job on the Cormac Mac Art miniseries. Regarding REH's short novel Almuric—I was delighted with the graphic novel Dark Horse made out of the comics serialization that artist Tim Conrad and I had done for Epic Illustrated. I thought we had a potential winner in the two-issue adaptation of REH's Kings of the Night, which co-starred Bran Mak Morn and King Kull, the latter known to comics readers from his Marvel days.

I felt Dark Horse was a breath of fresh air in what had become little more than a two-company field when it came to heroic adventure. I watched a number of Dark Horse projects I'd have loved to be involved with pass me by . . . Tarzan/John Carter: Warlord of Mars, Tarzan vs. the Moon Men . . . and then the early days of the Dark Horse Conan, Kull, and even Solomon Kane. From time to time Mike and I would talk about my doing something with one of the REH heroes after Dark Horse had established its own separate identity with them.

Finally, as the fortieth anniversary of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian #1 approached, Mike suggested that I do something with them to celebrate. I enthusiastically agreed, and after a short time, the current twelve-issue Conan: Road of Kings was born. As these words are written, only the first issue of that series has gone on sale, but, after more than a decade away from my favorite Cimmerian, it's good to be back. Since I just turned seventy, I'm hoping it's not another ten years before the ghost of Robert E. Howard stands at my shoulder again, bidding me to write some of the stories that he didn't quite get around to in his own mere thirty years. Whatever happens, though, I'm grateful to Dark Horse for bringing me aboard for a celebration that has real meaning for me. Long may Dark Horse ride!

-Roy Thomas

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Roy Thomas on Dark Horse and Conan

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