Savage Uncensored Sword of Conan
Thomas Sr. (Captain Collector)Last updated: 1 January 2020 approx. 2 min read
If any of the black-and-white comic magazines, alongside the cult horror series Eerie and Creepy and MAD magazine, deserves the adjective legendary, then it is surely Marvel's Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian. It was born out of a need to expand the market and was a logical evolution of Marvel Comics, which were subject to the strict rules of the Comics Code Authority.
Conan's savage sword knows no mercy
The series grew out of the shortly before launched Savage Tales, where, besides Conan, other Marvel characters such as Ka-Zar also appeared. Since Conan had become very popular through the comic series Conan the Barbarian, already running at Marvel for years, the step to magazine format seemed logical. In the USA, magazines weren't regarded as comics in the strict sense and were therefore not subject to the censorship body, the Comics Code Authority. Sounds strange? But that's how it was.
Here, in blunt black and white, far more sex & violence could be shown than was possible in the four-colour comic Conan the Barbarian. And here you could also see nicely how the Comics Code Authority interfered with the comics.
The Savage Sword of Censorship
The story The Frost Giant's Daughter first appeared in Savage Tales #1 in 1971, then was reprinted in colour about a year later, with a few censored panels, in Conan the Barbarian #16. This comic is a prime example because it lets readers see both versions. Usually you couldn't, since you only got one version, the published one. Whether the censors had stepped in or not was beyond the readers' knowledge.
A Witch Shall Be Born by Boris Vallejo. Copyright Marvel.
In Savage Sword of Conan, many outstanding artists were able to flourish and immortalise themselves as legends, above all John Buscema, who worked with excellent inkers such as Pablo Marcos and Alfredo Alcala and delivered first-class adaptations of Robert E. Howard's original stories.
The magazine was also packed with interesting articles and features on fantasy in general and on the Texan author Robert E. Howard in particular. The early years were marked by fantastic covers from well-known artists such as Boris Vallejo and Earl Norem. Sadly, the magazine sank more and more into mediocrity and slowly but surely petered out in the early nineties, until it was finally discontinued in 1995 with issue 235.
Did you know that Savage Sword of Conan often also featured stories of other Howard heroes, such as Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn?
Thomas Sr. (Captain Collector)Captain Collector's Hyborian Howard TriviaConan at AMAZINGTOYS®
You'll find the magazines under Savage Sword of Conan and the colour comics under Conan the Barbarian.
Avengers #178 Comic: Avengers #178 Language: English Publisher: Marvel Comics Year: December 1978 Condition: Fine Plus, FN+, 6.5 Avengers #178 brings an exciting story from the 1970s, the Bronze Age of comics. The comic is in very good condition. The Avengers have been fighting the villains of Earth, and also those from other worlds, every month without interruption since 1963. Marvel's flagship superhero team was assembled by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby from already existing superheroes of the then-young Marvel Universe. In the beginning it was Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man and Wasp. Over time, others joined, some left the team, later returned, or stayed away for good. Today, the Avengers are probably the most popular and best-known superhero team in the world, of course also thanks to the Marvel films, which have brought them close to non-comic-readers as well. Tags: avengers, jack kirby, thor, john buscema, squadron sinister, scarlet witch, captain america, quicksilver, iron man, red guardian
Challengers of the Unknown #77 Comic: Challengers of the Unknown #77 Language: English Publisher: DC Comics Year: January 1970 Condition: Very Fine, VF, 8.0 Challengers of the Unknown #77 by the legendary Jack Kirby. Here, a classic story from the 1960s is brought back to life. The issue is in good condition. Tags: challengers of the unknown, jack kirby, jack the king kirby, dc comics
Astonishing Tales #34 Comic: Astonishing Tales #34 Language: English Publisher: Marvel Comics Year: March 1976 Condition: Fine/Very Fine, FN/VF, 7.0 Astonishing Tales #34 was one of the Marvel series of the 1970s that gave a home to all kinds of heroes who didn't yet have their own title. Here Marvel presents the first cyborg in comic history: Deathlok, created by Rich Buckler. The comic book is in good used condition. Tags: astonishing tales, marvel tryout, marvel comics, bronze age of comics deathlok
Die Rächer #74 Comic: Die Rächer #74 Language: German Publisher: Williams Year: 1977 Condition: 1-2 (One to two) Fine Die Rächer #74 from the legendary Williams publishing house. The comic book is in very good condition. Tags: die rächer, avengers, marvels avengers, williams verlag
Avengers #158 Comic: Avengers #158 Language: English Publisher: Marvel Comics Year: April 1977 Condition: Fine/Very Fine, FN/VF, 7.0 Avengers #158 brings an exciting story from the 1970s, the Bronze Age of comics. The cover was drawn by Jack Kirby, and the comic book is in good condition. The Avengers have been fighting Earth's villains every month without interruption since 1963, as well as villains from other worlds. Marvel's flagship superhero team was put together by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby from already existing superheroes of the then-young Marvel Universe. At the start, it was Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man and Wasp. Over time, others joined, some left the team, some returned later, and some stayed away for good. The Avengers are today probably the most popular and best-known superhero team worldwide, of course also thanks to the Marvel films, which have brought them close to non-comic fans as well. Tags: avengers, jack kirby, thor, john buscema, squadron sinister, scarlet witch, captain america, quicksilver, iron man, red guardian
Incredible Hulk #123 Comic: Incredible Hulk #123 Language: English Publisher: Marvel Comics Year: January 1970 Condition: Fine Plus, FN+, 6.5 Incredible Hulk #123 with the Fantastic Four and the Leader as guest stars. The story is by Roy Thomas and Herb Trimpe. The issue is in good used condition. The Hulk is one of the oldest superhero characters in the Marvel Universe. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created him in 1962 as a kind of tragic Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde character. Due to an accident involving radioactive exposure, physicist Dr. Bruce Banner transforms (mostly involuntarily) into a large green monster known to everyone since the Marvel films at the latest: the Hulk. The series initially ran for 6 issues before being cancelled. A few years later he was revived in the Tales to Astonish series, where he wreaked havoc from issue #60 onwards. This comic series was renamed after #101 and became Incredible Hulk with #102. Incidentally, one of Marvel's most famous superheroes made his first appearance in this series: Wolverine first appeared in October 1974 in Incredible Hulk #181. Tags: incredible hulk, hulk, marvel comics
Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian #36 Comic: Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian #36 Language: English Publisher: Marvel Comics Year: December 1978 Condition: Very Fine Minus, VF-, 7.5 Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian #36 from Marvel's black-and-white magazine series. This issue features the comic adaptation of an adventure story by Robert E. Howard, adapted for Conan by Roy Thomas and skilfully brought to life by John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala. The magazine has a fantastic cover painting by Earl Norem and is in good condition. Tags: conan the barbarian, savage sword, marvel, robert e. howard, barry smith
