Savage Tales

Savage Tales collects the first ten issues of Marvel Comics' Savage Tales magazine from the 1970s. The black-and-white comic magazine features stories of Conan the Barbarian and other fantasy characters, created to appeal to adult readers. Roy Thomas adapted Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories while adding new elements and adventures. The magazine pushed boundaries by including mature themes and graphic content that couldn't appear in standard color comics of the era. The art showcases work from industry legends including Barry Windsor-Smith, Neal Adams, and John Buscema. Their detailed black-and-white illustrations brought the sword-and-sorcery genre to life in a raw, visceral style. The stories explore classic heroic fantasy themes of power, destiny, and survival in a brutal world. These early Savage Tales issues marked an important step in comics evolving to tackle more sophisticated narratives aimed at older readers.

Readers highlight Thomas's firsthand historical accounts and behind-the-scenes details about the creation of Marvel's Savage Tales magazine. Several reviewers mention the value of learning about editorial decisions and creative processes from the 1970s. Liked: - Extensive production history and background information - Personal anecdotes about working with artists and writers - Coverage of unpublished/rejected story concepts - High quality reproductions of original art Disliked: - Writing style can be dry and academic - Focus on business aspects over creative content - Limited discussion of certain characters/storylines - Price point ($75) considered high by some readers Online Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (12 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (8 reviews) Notable Reader Comment: "Thomas provides fascinating insight into Marvel's editorial process but sometimes gets bogged down in granular publishing details." - Goodreads reviewer

Conan the Barbarian Chronicles by Robert Jordan Chronicles the original adventures of Conan through interconnected stories that expand the Hyborian world and lore established by Howard.

The Coming of Conan by Robert E. Howard Contains the foundational Conan stories that established the sword and sorcery genre and influenced generations of fantasy writers.

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock Presents dark fantasy tales of an albino sorcerer-king that parallel Conan's adventures while subverting traditional heroic fantasy tropes.

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber Follows two rogues through sword and sorcery adventures that combine mythology, dark magic, and gritty combat in a shared universe structure.

The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard Delivers Howard's only full-length Conan novel with the world-building depth and mythological elements that readers of Thomas's work seek.

🗡️ "Savage Tales" was one of Marvel Comics' first ventures into black-and-white magazine publishing, created to avoid the Comics Code Authority restrictions and tell more mature stories. 🌟 The series introduced Man-Thing, who became a cult favorite Marvel character and was co-created by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Gray Morrow. 📚 Roy Thomas was Stan Lee's first successor as Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics and helped bridge the gap between the Golden Age and Modern Age of comics. 🎨 The magazine featured artwork from some of comics' most celebrated artists, including Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, and Neal Adams. 🦹‍♀️ The series marked the first appearance of Red Sonja in comics, reimagining Robert E. Howard's Red Sonya character as a chainmail bikini-wearing warrior who would become a major sword-and-sorcery icon.