Conan the Barbarian #53 MJI Variant

Conan the Barbarian #53 MJI Variant

Comic: Conan the Barbarian #53
Language: English
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Year: August 1975
Condition: Very Fine Minus, VF, 7.5

Conan the Barbarian #53 with a classic fantasy story by Roy Thomas (writer) and John Buscema (artist). The issue is in very good condition.

This is a so-called MJI (Mark Jewelers Insert) variant. In the 1970s, a small portion of the print run had a cardboard foldout inserted in the middle of the comic - advertising various jewellery. These copies were distributed near military bases, in the hope that soldiers would order jewellery for their family members. Such issues are rare today in good condition, because the cardboard advert was usually torn out and used. Among collectors, beautiful complete copies are therefore in demand.

Conan the Barbarian ran as a comic series at Marvel from 1970 to 1993 and reached a total of 275 issues. At the time, it was unusual for Marvel to buy licences in order to produce comics. Roy Thomas convinced his boss Stan Lee and the publisher's then-owner Martin Goodman to bring out Conan as a comic. As it would soon turn out, Thomas had the right instinct - fantasy was booming in the 1970s, and Marvel's version of Robert E. Howard's barbarian was able to claim a good share of this trend. In the early 1970s, the Briton Barry Smith shaped the style of the comics, but it was John Buscema who would ultimately go down in comic history as the Conan artist. Spin-offs followed later, such as Savage Sword of Conan, the Giant-Size issues and King Conan.

Tags: conan the barbarian, robert e. howard, barry smith, roy thomas, john buscema, marvel comics