Conan the Barbarian #1 - Barry Windsor Smith art & cover

Conan the Barbarian #1, 1970 – This issue featured the first appearance of Conan, and would be the first barbarian hero title in comics. The massive success of this title would not only result in a new genre and an explosion of sword and sorcery titles, but would also bring accolades to artist Barry Smith. His 1960s work was heavily influenced by Jack Kirby and there are remnants of that style here, which he would eventually move away from toward the end of his historic run on Conan. His work would be equally explosive and his artistic naivete actually gave the book a primitive savagery it needed. Smith's cover is fairly textbook for a premiere issue, centered around the main character and a damsel in distress. The foreshortening is abysmal, and it is perplexing how Conan's leg is able to get behind the woman's arm. The cover still elicits more excitement than the opening splash, which falls distrubingly flat.
The story art is more polished than his earliest works, but not extraordinary. And yet, it is hard to deny there is still raw, spontaneous, and exciting about his work in this and subsequent issues. Compare this issue with Chamber of Darkness #4, a Conanesque tryout also drawn by Smith. This is number 1 of 20 Conan issues with Smith art. See today's posts or more Conan or Smith issues.
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Smith cover pencils = ***
"The Coming of Conan" Smith story pencils 20 pages = ***
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