What does a Cimmerian, a king of Atlantis and a 1920s detective who has a penchant for fishing out the occult in his cases have in common – Robert E. Howard. He was the man who set the standard for the sword and sorcery novels many read today, and the worlds Howard created are but a small sampling in “Savage Sword Presents†from Dark Horse.
Issue three begins with the wrap-up of a Conan story. There’s an immortal goddess and a sorcerer who takes advantage of her immortality by leading men to their deaths. As anyone who has read Conan knows magic doesn’t stand a chance against brawn and some common sense. It’s a satisfying taste of the Howard universe that leaves you wanting more.
In “The Sonora Kid†the wild-west is exposed as a place where reputation and integrity collide with rumor mongering, as the titled hero is faced with having to defend the justified decisions made out on a cattle drive. Then readers enter the land of the Celts and the early twentieth century as Brule and Steve Harrison have their own adventures. Mermaids and blood engorged wine shows the ingenuity in storytelling. Then there’s Kull, a king who is seemingly on his last legs. As his closest companions come together to mourn his possible end or help him defy death, Kull battles a green-colored half-naked siren for his soul.
All the comics reflect Howard’s vast interests – you would think that he was still around writing these tales himself. But from Paul Tobin to Alan Zelenetz the current writers of these iconic characters have kept them relevant with a modern day sensibility. Whether it be a sword or a .45 these heroes all have something to say as well as keep you entertained.
Although Howard died far too soon over seventy years ago, he left a legacy of characters from a multitude of genres that are being reinterpreted with the spirit of this multifaceted man firmly kept in place. For a man that began his literary career in pulp fiction, there can be no better place than between the pages of comics.
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