My post about the plotting errors that I found in a recent Conan comic book story, a post in which I also promoted my alternative approach to emulating the work of Robert E. Howard, proved to be an experiment with mixed results.

Some enjoyed and agreed with what I wrote, some didn’t.

It’s not an experiment likely to be repeated.

I’ll admit I was baffled by some of the feedback.

Many repliers felt that Conan surely could have slept through the theft of his pack horses from his campsite.

How did Robert E. Howard characterize Conan’s superior alertness, even when Conan is seemingly asleep?

Right from Howard’s typewriter, here’s what Conan says when his female companion balks at them both falling asleep when danger seems to lurk nearby:

"My slumber is light as a wolf's. Nothing can enter this hall without awaking me."

--from "Iron Shadows in the Moon" a Conan novelette by Robert E. Howard first published in the April 1934 issue of Weird Tales as "Shadows in the Moonlight.”

Again—nobody writes like Robert E. Howard.

When we write pastiches about his characters, we do our best to honor him.

Conan is better than that.

I would never have written a story like “The Blue Orchid,” in which we see Conan act well below his mettle.

The story, published in Savage Sword of Conan #13 (Titan) was plotted by the artist, Roberto de la Torre, with “text” by Roy Thomas.

The art is very nice, with wonderful visual storytelling.

But the plotting is another matter.

In the story, Conan and his companion-in-crime, Atta, sleep peacefully while Zaria, a woman they have just shared, walks off with their horses. Presumably, the horses were packed with Conan’s and Atta’s provisions, equipment, and water.

Now Conan and Atta are stranded in the middle of nowhere.

In what universe does Conan sleep through the theft of two horses from his camp?

Not in Robert E. Howard’s universe, for sure. And not in any pastiche written in the spirit of REH.

Howard’s Conan would snap awake the second Zaria touched a horse.

But not the Conan of “The Blue Orchid.”

In the story, Conan blames Atta, who was supposed to be awake and on watch.

What does Conan do about this?

He punches Atta.

The real Conan would have killed Atta, of course.

But then the real Conan would not have slept through Zaria’s theft of most of his worldly possessions.

Later in the story we find out that Zaria is some sort of witchy woman.

Maybe she cast a spell on Conan to keep him asleep?

If so, Conan would figure this out this when woke up. He knows that, under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t sleep through the theft of his horses.

And if she did put a spell on Conan, he would now understand that she’s supernatural, a fact he doesn’t find out until much later in the story.

So, this incident is a real problem and certainly not a scene that Robert E. Howard would ever dream of writing.

Nobody wrote like Robert E. Howard or has written like him since.

No point in even trying.

But when pastiche writers understand the character of Conan, they can avoid violating the simple elements that make up a Conan story. They can write good Conan stories—not the way Howard would have written them, but at least they can depict a Conan that is recognizable as the same character that Howard created and chronicled.

In the issues of Conan the Barbarian that I wrote for Marvel (#214-#220), I stuck to Howard’s portrayal of Conan. It wasn’t difficult; I always asked myself, would Robert E. Howard have Conan do this? If the answer was “yes,” it was full speed ahead. If not, I went back to my keyboard.

In my upcoming Substack, I’m adapting “The Jewels of Gwahlur” as a Storyboard Project.

I’m presenting the story as it might look if “Big Streaming” were filming a 45-minute, live action, self-contained episode.

As faithful as possible to Howard’s vision, in storyboard format.

https://substack.com/@csantino

#AmratheLion #Amra #ConanTheBarbarian #SwordAndSorcery #HyborianAge #RobertEHoward #KingConan #savageswordofconan

I really enjoyed it. Are the books even better?

Last week on Facebook and elsewhere I shared a sample of The Storyboard Project, one of several rotating features slated for my upcoming Substack newsletter. https://www.facebook.com/charles.santino.77/

The first project is “Amra the Lion / The Jewels of Gwahlur.”

It’s an adaptation of the Robert E. Howard story originally titled “The Servants of Bit-Yakin," written in 1934.

The purpose of the “Amra “project is to demonstrate, in cinematic storyboard format, step-by-step, how REH’s work can be faithfully transposed to a live-action film.

In this case, my treatment is intended for an imagined “Big Streaming” live-action standalone episode of 45 minutes.

Here’s the freshly minted title card.

Art by Miguel Guzman.

(Special thanks to James Whiting and Whiting Studio for the typography.)

More samples to follow.

Love to know your thoughts on this; what are your thoughts?

Would you be interested in seeing a storyboard treatment for an REH story that does justice to the source material?

I welcome discussion, real dialogue, and an appreciation for the world of Conan, don't you?

#AmratheLion #Amra #ConanTheBarbarian #SwordAndSorcery #HyborianAge #RobertEHoward #KingConan

I love how REH pioneered a shared universe cocept with his continuity between various characters. Thulsa Door apparently appears as the antogonist for the *Moonbow.*

Hi, I need some help locating a poem by Robert E. Howard. I only remember bits and pieces of it, it was a about a young barbarian (Niall?) who visited Rome, but the city was already sacked. It follows a kind of dialuge form, someone asks about the great things that the Romans and Rome had, and Niall answers, that there is only chaos and destruction after the goths.

Thanks for the help:)

Hey there all! For folks who haven't come across it, I'm one of the creators of The A.L.I.C.E. Files, which is an ongoing audio drama series on YT that adapts original fiction, fan fiction, and public domain stories as part of the narrative of The Carroll Institute and its exploration of other dimensions. We've already touched on Lovecraft, and Howard is one of my other favorites that I'd love to adapt... the question is, which story?

I was contemplating some of the Bran Mak Morn stories, since one of the themes is parallel dimensions with a dash of time travel... but I know those are lesser-known tales. So I thought I'd pop in and ask what you all would like to see, and if you had any suggestions?

And, of course, if you like the idea of the show, feel free to hit that sub button and leave your suggestions in the comments there! That way the rest of the team will see them, too.

Mods, sorry if this isn’t allowed, please delete if it’s not, but I wanted to put it out there that there’s a free online conference happening next Saturday, June 20th!!

Afterlives of World Building: The Legacy of Robert E. Howard

This is sponsored by The Dark Man Journal.

We’ll have Sara Frazetta as our keynote speaker, as well as interviews with Arlene Stephenson and Rusty Burke. There are a couple panels too!

So if you didn’t get your fill at Howard Days and just need some more REH in your life, please join us :)

You can register here: etamu.libcal.com/event/16978513

EDIT: The poster isn’t showing, but panelists include Jim Zub, Elisabeth Wheatley, Brian Murphy, Jeff Shanks, Jonas Prida, Laura Shubert, and Charles Gramlich!

https://youtu.be/bl3Z37I74Q8