(click for larger view)
Even before the opportunity to do my Conan arose, I had already been reading a lot of the old Savage Sword of Conan comics, and I especially love the stories drawn by John Buscema and Alfred Alcala.
Most Savage Sword of Conan covers are the same scenario: Conan defending a scantily clad woman from some kind of monster. (here's one by Boris Vallejo) So, I took all the elements of that concept and decided to amp it up into the goriest Conan image I could make. And of course more scantily clad ladies! I wanted Conan to be buck-naked, too, but that doesn't fly with the publisher. So, you'll just have to use your imagination.*****
I had a ton of fun drawing this and it kinda makes me wanna do more of this kind of illustration work... That's a big hint to all you editors out there! Why hasn't anyone asked me to do something for Marvel's Strange Tales? Or a cover for the newly revived Creepy Comics? Or anything else... Hire me people!*****
Incidentally, I was working on inking this Conan on the morning I found out Frank Frazetta died. I was sad to hear this news. I've always been a fan of his illustration, especially the work he did for Creepy magazine. I thought I should dedicate my Conan to Frazetta because he did so many great Conan covers. But after reading a few interviews with him, I found out that he is no fan of gore in art. And since my Conan is so gory, I don't think it would be an appropriate dedication.
However, the back cover of my latest book was my homage to Frazetta's cover to Creepy #3.
R.I.P Frank Frazetta
