Ahira's Hangar

**Alot of people are suprized when they discover that Robert E. Howard's career was, really, relatively short. Did u know he was a bookeeper by trade? Did u kno he lived in a funky little Texas town named Crossplains? Did u know that he bore a striking resemblance 2 Al Capone? Did u know that he killed himself in 1936 while his mother was in a coma? Whether u're a fan of Conan the Barbarian or not u have 2 admit that Howard really "beefed up" the world of Fantasy and went a VERY long way in jump-starting the "Sword and Sorcery" genre. It is evident that Howard's writings rubbed off on the likes of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Moorcock and H. Rider Haggard--and I don't kno if he read the original "Sword and Sorcery" master, E. R. Edison, but I suspect he did. I don't kno if Howard had any effect on Tolkien, perhaps Tolkien iconifiles can clear this up, but I would venture that Tolkien must have @ least read some Bran Mak Morn stories.
**Howard began submitting stories 2 Weird Tales, an American "pulp" short story magazine, around 1930 and the 1st major sword "hero" he produced was a Puritian avenger named Solomon Kane. Very dark, lots of religious overtones (Kane was not 1 of my fav characters). As Howard's writing style improved he quickly introduced the world 2 two VERY cool Sword & Sorcery masters: Kull of Atlantis and the Pictish Chieftian, Bran Mak Morn. Historically Morn was Howard's most "recent" character relying on his leadership, wit, trickery, guerilla warfare and Celtic lore 2 repell the Romans in their attempted conquest of England. Kull laid the ground work 4 Conan. Kull was a renegade who was 4ced, pretty much against his will, 2 fight bands of raiders and merciless overlords (controlled by sorcery). Kull's timeframe is "pre-catacylsm" Atlantis, say very roughly, 18,000 years ago. Like Conan, Kull went from being pretty much a nothing, stung by injustice, 2 a big ass-kicking monster and a King (Kull became King of Valusia, very much against his will, inheriting an ancient curse). Kull is probably my fav Howard character, intelligent, brooding, handles the double-sided broad axe like there's no 2morrow. And while most of the sorcery is cool, especially the different dimensions, the writing style and Wizards and Sorcerers developement is much more engaging in the Conan books. And some of the same things could be said 4 Bran Mak Morn--tho I suspect berenCAMLOST7 will give me an earful on that!
**On 2 Conan. Some of Conan was published in book form and alot of it was compiled from ongoing stories in Weird Tales (competing w/some Lovecraft, btw...). The last of the long series of the Conan books we r familiar w/today that bear Howard's name consist of under-developled and unfinished stories completed by Lin Carter and L. Sprauge DeCamp. Robert Jordan tried 2 do his own Conan stories, but we won't talk about that debacle here... From the DeLaurentis movie (do not watch 2 2nd!) many people now familiar w/Conan's origins. As a child his parents are killed by the sorcerer Thulsa Doom's henchmen, Conan is sold in2 slavery, skilled in swordsmanship by an "asian-type" people and thrown in2 the "pits" 2 battle 4 his life. Conan's age is the Hyborian Age, about 12,000 years b4 recorded history. And it's kinda cool as the reader wonders, thoughout the stories, where, xactly, he is in realtion 2 modern day Europe--blond haired warriors from the north, asian "type" guys from the east, exotic sorcerers, and ladies, from the south. Conan: slave, thief, avenger, mercenary, King. Lots of monsters, hoards of enemies, wizards, sorcerers, kingdoms 2 b won, beautiful women, drinking, carousing, wrongs 2 b righted. Only his god of the earth, or underworld, Crom, can get him through all this--always something going on, tons of blood, quick, enjoyable reads: fun 4 the entire family!!! How far do you fall Pilot?<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 5/15/03 9:13:40 pm
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Danlo -

Now why would you be thinking that I'd be keen on seeing the ravens glutted ?

Howard invented Sword and Scorcery as we know it. Red Nails, a Conan story, is my favourite bit of Howard. Bran Mak Morn, of course, is my favourite Howard hero. Holding back the Roman tide with Pictish guile and brute strength.

As for Tolkien and Howard. Tolkien weren't much of a pulp fiction reader I suspect. He'd probably have viewed it as too lowbrow (not I hasten to add that I would).

Howard on the other hand was very well read, and he may well have had a copy of Worm Ouroboros. Aure entuluva !<i></i>

<b> I really loved the Conan stories (and [gulp] even the Conan movies). Sad to hear his bio. What a tragic loss of talent. </b> Arise now, Riders of Théoden!Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!<i></i>

I dug the first movie 2 King, but the 2nd put me 2 sleep--it was a great sleep tho..came out of the theater feeling like Conan! I also liked Kevin Sorbo's Kull the Conquerer--a little corny--but fun if u go along 4 the ride...The Marvel Conans were pretty dam good 2! How far do you fall Pilot?<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 6/17/02 2:28:00 pm
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<b> Yes, the Marvel Comics' Conan was super: both the illustrations and the storylines.
I didn't like the 2nd Conan movie a whole lot either, until the end. Then there was that gorgeous music that kept building and building. It was either Ravel's <i> Bolero</i> or something very much like it. (I hope I'm not getting the two movies confused)</b> Arise now, Riders of Théoden!Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!<i>Edited by: King Theoden  at: 6/18/02 7:06:43 am
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Another Howard fan here. I loved the Marvel Conan as a kid - both the Barry Windsor Smith adaptations and the later Buscema drawn series were of very high quality. Eventually got around to reading the actual Howard stories and was impressed how different they were from the average sword and sorcery fare (usually a rip-off of Tolkien). "Realism" seems like a strange term to describe what Howard brought to fantasy, but his tales just seemed thougher, more gritty.

My friends and I enjoyed the first Conan movie immensely when it came out (I was in high school), but it seems like a totally different Conan to me. Not at all what I imagine reading Howard. I found the sequel to be pretty disappointing, which is surprising considering Roy Thomas, who handled the Cimmerian so well for Marvel, basically wrote it. I remember reading interviews with Thomas where he mentioned they were trying to lighten Conan up, since he was after all a comic book character. Big mistake. I think the last shot from the original movie, where we see a venerated Conan seated upon the throne of Aquilonia, hinted at a fantastic film series that could have been.

Later, in college, I developed an interest in the writer himself (and his Weird Tales buddies HPL and Clark Ashton Smith). I'm actually thinking about writing an alternate history novel about HPL and REH. There's a biographical movie about Howard that came out in the 90's called The Whole Wide World. It's based on a book written by a schoolteacher who actually dated Howard just before he committed suicide. It's pretty interesting, though maybe a little deflating for fans of the man. Stars Vincent D'Onofrio (Thirteenth Floor, Impostor) and Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones' Diary, Chicago). <i>Edited by: AlphSeeker at: 5/15/03 9:01:40 pm
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