Vincent Darlage shows off his reading room and reviews Scott Oden's short Conan story, The Shadow of Vengeance, that was released last year as part of the Heroic Legends e-book series. Also check out a review (by me) of New Maps of Hell by Kingsley Amis in a separate post. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2025/01/28/review-conan-shadow-of-vengeance-by-scott-oden/

"I go no more to Dark Valley..."

Robert E. Howard was born today, his birth certificate says in the little hamlet of Peaster, TX. A humble beginning for a great author.

Vincent Darlage reviews the latest Conan short story. Madness on the Mound by Matthew John. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2025/01/22/review-madness-on-the-mound-a-conan-short-story-by-matthew-john/

I was collecting the Conan Marvel Comic Book Omnibus until they stopped publishing them due to license issues.

I managed to get:

1-10 for the Conan the Barbarian

1-8 Savage Sword of Conan

1 Conan the King

I understand that Titan Comics took over and is printing their own versions in a similar style. My question is was it announced anywhere how many volumes total there will be?

For example, does 1-10 "complete" the classic Conan the Barbarian series or will a volume 11 be coming out from Titan? I ask as I understand #10 covers up to issue 275 but I was thinking there were special issues not yet collected, etc.

I think #8 was about halfway through Savage Sword, and I ordered #9 recently (from the new Titan release). Do we know how many issues are planned total? I was wondering if it is 16?

On Conan the King, I see Titan is releasing a #2 in the future. Does anyone know if this completes this series, or if a volume 3 is coming too?

Thanks.

Word has come that Howard Andrew Jones, pulp scholar and sword & sorcery author, has passed away after a battle with brain cancer. Jones was a tribute to the community, and wrote in the spirit of Robert E. Howard. He will be missed.

Welcome all! This is the reading club for r/Cimmeria, and we're starting out by reading all of the Kull of Atlantis stories by Robert E. Howard in order of publication.

This month we read "The Striking of the Gong" which was unpublished during Howard's lifetime. It first saw print in the Lancer King Kull (1967) (in a version edited by Lin Carter; the original was not published until 1976), and was adapted to comics by Roy Thomas, Rick Hoberg, Bill Wray, and an uncredited Marie Severin in Savage Sword of Conan #23 (1977).

This is a short piece, little more than a scene, but very much of the same atmosphere as "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune," where the mighty warrior Kull grapples not with enemies per se, but with cosmic forces and laws beyond his comprehension. It's well-written and complete, but probably too slight for Weird Tales and too long to fold into a bigger story.

Tell us what you think about this story!

Do you have any questions?

Do you know any fun facts?

Favorite quotes?

Next month we read "Swords of the Purple Kingdom."

If you want a print or audio book to follow along, the best version is Kull: Exile of Atlantis.

Not an in-depth look at Elric but it covers a very early part in Elric's creation. Features an exchange between Moorcock and De Camp triggered by comments in AMRA. Good stuff. You'll also get to read about this awful oil painting. Remember me when voting for the REH Foundation Awards. I'd like to try to tie with Stale again this year. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/michael-moorcock-conan-and-elric/

Xb armoury collection has an Albion father sword up for sale, the price is good, and you won't have to wait the usual 2+ years to get one

https://xbarmorycollections.com/products/conan-the-barbarian-sword-of-the-master

Review of an old Mirage Press book featuring Clark Ashton Smith's essays. Lots of scans. This should be of interest to the many CAS fans here. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2025/01/11/review-planets-and-dimensions-by-clark-ashton-smith/

I found a letter by P. Schuyler Miller discussing Conan Chronology with John D. Clark. Interesting for Conan fans who like the chrono game. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2025/01/08/an-old-conan-chronology-from-p-schuyler-miller/

How long do you guys think Black Colossus took place in? Did the story take place in a few weeks or months? What's your approximate guess?

I run a blog. Stats for the Top Ten posts are listed here. Conan fans seem really interested in chronologies, Thoth-amon, and the old Universal Stage Show. Yeah, and the She is Conann movie too. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/2024-year-end-stats-for-spraguedecampfan/

Check out last month's State of the Subreddit if you'd like to see what you missed.

Robert E. Howard Days 2025 is June 13th & 14th!

The Robert E. Howard Foundation Press has made progress on the release of their Ultimate Editions. Unlike the limited editions, there will be no set number of copies and they will be available through normal commercial outlets like Amazon. The contents may be updated compared to the limited editions.

The Robert E. Howard Foundation ( https://rehfoundation.org/ ) has been slowly getting its website in order, including adding perks to membership.

If you're a Friend of REH or Legacy Circle member, you now have access to the first two issues from Volume 1 (2007) to read online. What’s even better than the original print versions? These digital versions are not limited to black and white—bringing new life to the newsletters!

This is just the beginning, and more issues will be added over time.

https://rehfoundation.org/newsletter-archive/

Latest releases:

• Conan the Barbarian #17 (Titan)

• Conan Colossal edition (Zoop)

• Savage Sword of Conan #6 (Titan)

• Savage Sword of Conan vol. 1 (Titan)

Upcoming:

• Free Comic Book Day 2025 - CONAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT

• Solomon Kane is also returning to comics

Things you may have missed in December:

• The Barbarian and the Playwright

• Collecting Frazetta

• Frontispieces From Savage Sword of Conan - Dark Worlds Quarterly

• Gerry Lopez "Subtai" - Conan 1982 movie memories!

• Informal Guides to Robert E. Howard

• Interview: Jim Zub on CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE and the Writing Process

• Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" Comic: An Early History and Chronology

• The Observatory: The Origins of Depression in Science Fiction

• The Story Behind an REH Poem

• Tales of the Hyborian Age: Don Glut

• Titan Books Announces Two New Conan The Barbarian Stories & The First-Ever Solomon Kane Novel

• Unleashing The Epic World Of Conan The Barbarian With Jim Zub

• Weird Tales Writers Who Wrote Westerns

• The Witch From Hell's Kitchen

Reviews:

• Black Hound of Death

• The Coming of Conan

• "Conan and the Spider God" is better than people give it credit for.

• CONAN THE BARBARIAN #17

• Conan the Barbarian #17 (2023) review

• Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon review

• The House of Arabu

• THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #6 - New Comic Review | Comical Opinions

• Savage Sword of Conan #6 (2024) review

• Symbolism and the Supernatural in Conan the Barbarian #1

On the r/Cimmeria Reading Club, we're reading the Kull of Atlantis stories, in order of publication. This month we're reading and discussing "The Striking of the Gong."

If you want a print or audio book to follow along, the best version is Kull: Exile of Atlantis.