Key Issues: Conan the Barbarian #100

Comic books often take the reader on fantastical journeys, fraught with peril, into the unknown and unknowable.  Today’s tale is about one such story, filled with danger, sadness and ultimately a love so strong it pulls back the infinite veil to save the hero and break him at the same time.

Before we get to that, let’s get some background information. Conan the Barbarian is Marvel’s interpretation of the R.E. Howard character, a brilliant reimagining of a pulp magazine staple of the 1930’s.[1] Many fine artists, inkers and writers worked on this series for Marvel Comics Group. The most beloved of Marvel’s version usually involved Roy Thomas (story), Ernie Chan (inks), John Romita and/or John Buscema (art/covers). For those not in the know, these are some the biggest names in comic book history, contemporaries and colleagues with luminaries such as Jack Kirby, Will Eisner and Stan Lee.

Conan is many things, and author Howard gives us this insight into his creation “black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet.”[2]  This is a nice way to sum up most of what Conan does, he steals…a lot, he kills man and beast…a lot, and when his appetite stirs he wenches also…a lot. Conan’s thirst is huge and the character as brought to life in the comics lives his life very much in the moment. This should not lead the reader to believe that Conan is shallow; in fact he is written with depth and all the imperfections of any flesh and blood human being. With that said, when Conan finds love, he really finds it! He inspires devotion in a few very memorable female characters, with well written love stories, well the kind of manly love stories that end in tragedy, revenge, blood…and eventually wenches.

The greatest of those love stories involves the lady, the she-pirate known as Belit.[3] Conan meets Belit in the heat of battle. Conan’s ship the Argus, is rammed by Belit’s own Tigress (Belit is the captain of her vessel and her hearty all male crew will follow her unto the death, how’s that for female empowerment!!) In the blood soaked melee that follows the two captains’ spy one another and the attraction is instant.

So we now know how Conan and Belit met. Let us briefly explore some of the other notable women in Conan’s life. For the sake of brevity I will confine this to female leads found in the R.E. Howard stories and not those made or altered for Conan in the Marvel/Dark Horse continuities (sorry Red Sonja Fans.)[4] Two other women stand beside Belit as strong females; able to hold their own with the untamed savagery of Conan. One of these ladies named Zenobia is promised to be the bride of the future King Conan, we see her closer to the end of the Conan stories so there is less material to work with, but she offers a strong presence in those later tales. The other, and one fans will be more familiar with is Valeria. A warrior in her own right Valeria is nearly a match for Conan’s ferocity and lust for life.[5]

We now have a base understanding of the women in Conan’s life, and we are free to talk about this key issue; Conan the Barbarian #100 from July of 1979. Based on the R.E. Howard story “Queen of the Black Coast”, issue #100 is the culmination of the 1000 days and nights that Conan and Belit spend together.[6] Touted as the death of the Black Coast’s Queen, it is a gut wrenching story. Conan driven mad by her death seeks to avenge her by going after the spawn of hell (“The Winged One” a man beast and the last of its kind) that has killed the one woman able to stand by his side no matter the odds.

 In a prescient moment before her death, Belit tells Conan “were I still in death and you fighting for life, I would come back from the abyss to aid you. Aye, whether my spirit floated from the purple sails on the crystal sea of paradise, or writhed in the molten flames of Hell! I am yours, and all the gods and their eternities shall not sever us.” [7] There is a great moment in this comic that I do not wish to ruin for the uninitiated but suffice it to say Belit is a woman of her word.Ok, so you now know how the story started, and how it ended for Conan and Belit. However just as in real life it is the stuff in between that tells the real story, who we are and how we get there.

 I hope you will take the time to investigate this and other Conan issues. This key comic is also very inexpensive, even in near mint (9.2+ on the 10 point scale) this comic should set you back between 10 and 15 U.S. dollars maximum. The next “Bubble” will focus on comic condition and the grading scale, until then keep reading comic fans!!

 

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[1] Thomas, Roy. "Conan the Barbarian." Comic Book. Ed. Stan Lee. Vol. 1. (Issues 1-275) New York: Marvel Comics Group, 1970-1993. Print.

This is one of many Conan related titles including: Conan Saga, The Savage Sword of Conan, and King Conan. After the end of the characters Marvel run, the property was licensed to Dark Horse Comics, where it is enjoying another life with a new generation of artists.

 

 

[2] Howard, Robert E., Camp L. Sprague De, and Lin Carter. Conan. New York: Ace, 1967. 34-35. Print.

 

[3] First Marvel appearance of Belit comes in Giant Size Conan #1 (September 1974) with story by Roy Thomas, and cover art by Gil Kane. Her next appearance is in Conan the Barbarian #58 (June 1976) story by Roy Thomas, and cover art by both John Buscema and John Romita. Belit’s origin and back story appear in the next issue #59 (July 1976).

[4]Howard, Robert E. "The Shadow of the Vulture." The Magic Carpet Magazine. 1st ed. Vol. 4. Chicago: Popular Fiction, 1934. Print.

The Marvel character "Red Sonja", is based loosely on Red Sonya of Rogatino, a character from this story. In Howard's version she is a gun-toting, sword wielding wild woman. Her sister is the first wife of the Sultan of the Ottoman Turks. The story is set in the 1600’s and has nothing to do with Conan or his world.

 

[5] Howard, Robert E. "Red Nails." Weird Tales. Ed. Farnsworth Wright. 1st ed. Vol. 28. Chicago: Popular Fiction, 1936. Print.

 

Valeria makes her debut in this serialized story. Told over 3 issues (#1 July 1936, #2 August 1936, and #3 October 1936- no issue for month of September-) sadly this is also the last complete story published during Howard’s lifetime. Valeria is also used in the 1982 as the love interest in the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan film; she is a composite of several of Conan’s love interests from the stories and comics.

 

[6] Howard, Robert E. "Queen of the Black Coast." Weird Tales. Ed. Farnsworth Wright. 5th ed. Vol. 23. Chicago: Popular Fiction, 1934. Print.

The storyline to Queen of the Black Coast is scattered through various issues of Conan the Barbarian, and not told in strict sequence.

 

[7] Thomas, Roy, and Robert E. Howard. "Conan the Barbarian." Comic Book. 100th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Marvel Comics Group, 1979. Print.

 

Cover Art for this issue by John Buscema, inked by Ernie Chan.

Care and Preservation for the Collector

Last week I promised to talk about the care and preservation of our comic book collections, and that is just what I intend to do. Some of what follows may get technical or scientific, but I promise I will break it down for ease of use. Please keep in mind, this information is based on my own experience and some base science knowledge, as well as general consensus within the comic collecting/archiving community. This post is meant as a primer for your collection, I encourage you to research further. In addition, I should note I missed that Omnipotence/Omniscience 101 class they were offering at the local community college. Thusly if you see a mistake drop a line to liampotterx@gmail.com, and I will correct any inaccuracies.

First things first, what kind of collector are you? I break the community down into 5 archetypes: the reader, the casual collector, the serious collector, the investor and the speculator. Any one collector other than the reader may want to invest in some level of protection and preservation of his or her collection. You have to decide if you want or need to protect your comic book investment.

With even a minimum of care your comics can be around for a long time. There are many examples of people finding million dollar+ collections in a family member’s basement, stored only in a box or closet. That type of storage (closet/basement) however leaves much to chance and assumes near perfect conditions with no accidental damage.

So let us assume you give a crap about your collection and you want to preserve it for untold future generations. I myself am aiming for “this dude must have been an ancient American Pharaoh, class. His extensive collection of exquisitely preserved sequential art shows how much he was revered by his comic book slaves, harem and people, as the greatest of them all…we shall call him Dudenkhamen…or maybe even Comickhamen.” I like the sound of that.

Okay on to the nuts and bolts.

1.      Bag or no bag?

No, I am not talking about grocery store bags, but about storage bags for your comics. Depending on your choice of materials the cost can be a significant factor so choose wisely my young Padawan. The most common bagging materials are PP (polypropylene) and PE (Polyethylene). Both can be used for SHORT term storage of your comics. 5 months (PP) to 1 year (PE) maximum. PP is a derivative of PE; it is transparent and tends to be more rigid. PE is translucent, has more give and is inert. Translucency helps combat UV light (a comic killer); being an inert material PE has a lower draw for contaminants. I personally would recommend use of these materials (especially PP) for no longer than a matter of months, save up the money for better storage materials and it will pay off in the long run.

Upgrades to the following types of bags are in essence, archival grade storage solutions, and this is where cost can become an obstacle. Mylar D/ Mylite (Mylar was invented by the DuPont Corporation in 1954), and Melinex 516 (an equivalent product form ICI Corporation), are the material of choice for long term protection (5+ years.) Collectively these solutions are made from a material called PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and are the standard used by the National Archives and Library of Congress for storage of paper materials in need . PET offers many types of protection, it is dielectric, hydrolytic, reflective, and offers UV protection. PET comes in varying thicknesses from .5-4mm, at the lower end PET is brittle and difficult to manage, however at higher thicknesses rigidity can be a factor and may in fact damage your comics. My preference is 2mm Mylite (Mylite2), offering protection and give in the material. The 2mm option also helps keep costs down as 4mm Mylar can be very expensive (in the near 400-600 dollar range for 1000 bags, compared to a little over 100 dollars for the same quantity of PE.)

The final variable in baseline protection is encapsulation. Companies like CGC (Comic Guaranty Corp.) or PGX (Professional Grading Experts) offer for a fee to encapsulate your comic(s) in plastic containers.[1] I can’t speak to what materials are used exactly, but I do know they both use an inner Mylar well and MCP (micro chamber paper) to protect the individual comic. Encapsulation can be very expensive, but may have value for very high dollar comic books which require extra protection. It should be noted that these containers are not hermetically sealed and can still take damage if placed in water or left in direct sunlight etc. Another drawback to encapsulation; your comic can’t be read. Once certified, graded and sealed, the owner is now unable to read the comic (unless you want to break open the packaging you just dropped serious coin for.) If, however you have a comic you plan to auction, or is susceptible to damage without encapsulation, you may wish to consider this avenue.

2.      Backing Boards and MCP

I will refrain from categorizing and just go with one type of backing material. Acid and Lignin free boards, really that is it, nothing else should be backing your comics. Over time and especially with older comics (pulpy old newsprint for the most part) they will breakdown from the lignin, well more due to the oxidation and exposure to sunlight/UV light of the lignin contained within the material. Lignin is the bonding material of cells and fibers in plants and wood. With exposure to oxygen and UV, the material begins to breakdown and release acid/gases trapped within. Said release will cause removal of ink to your backing boards if not changed out periodically. This release is also why CGC and PGX encapsulated comics are not completely sealed, there needs to be a way for the released gasses to escape. Even with this protective measure these boards like your Mylar’s should be changed on a 5-7 year cycle.

MCP (no, not the Master Control Program, Tron nerds) or micro chamber paper is another available protective element. Placed between pages (my preferred and probably overboard method is 1 sheet between front and back cover and 1 at center) MCP pulls contaminants away from your comics and decreases the release of gases from comic pages. While not cheap, it is a viable and comic saving/ preserving measure, especially for high value comics.

3.      Temperature and relative humidity

Temperature for storage should be number one consistent and between 65-72 degrees Fahrenheit. Consistency will help alleviate problems with drying and mold growth. This of course also depends on the relative humidity.

Relative humidity is a measure or ratio of moisture in the air relative to its potential to hold it (thus air is a vehicle and does not bind or encapsulate moisture) Low humidity conditions increase drying and cracking and high humidity leads to condensation. So much like your skin (hey I’m dry I need lotion or jeebus I am sweating like a pig…wait do pigs sweat?) your comics are screaming (quietly) for you to control the humidity. 50% would be close to ideal, not too wet and not too dry.

4.      Location and environmental hazards

Water, fire, sunlight, insects, assorted vermin, nosy children, mothers who throw shit away!! These are the enemies. Water and fire should be pretty obvious. So no storage of your comics near fire or heat sources, or directly beneath that leaky pipe in your basement. If the basement is your only option, then make sure your books are at least one foot off the ground in case of accidental flooding. Also no storing in safes (oxidize faster) or storage sheds (please...No!) Sunlight especially direct sunlight and the very nasty UV light (yea p.s. keep your comics in a room with incandescent bulbs, no fluorescents) are seriously no bueno! UV light like oxidation increase the release of acid gases and accelerates the decay of your books.

Children and mothers are another concern (I suppose we can add nosy neighbors too) cake is bad for your comics. Chocolate is bad, juice boxes are bad, children are bad (I will caveat this with ADD comic loving children are good and they will grow up to be your master one day, be nice to them). Make them go away or lock the room your comics are in. Your mother really wants to free up space at her house for a children’s cake and juice box room. Your comics will be the first thing she passes out to neighbor kids at Halloween, drops of at the goodwill, or blasphemy of blasphemies throws in the trash!!! Go get them from her house and store them (properly) at yours.

Insects and assorted vermin are another and very serious concern for the comic collector. On the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. where I live we have to name just a few; the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys), Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina), Termites (order Isoptera, species varies), and the Common Cockroach (order Blattodea, species varies). Vermin available range from field mice (Miceus Grossasshitus) to the giant city dwelling rat (Rattus nativeNewyorkus) All of the above plus many others will eat paper. Comic books are made of paper…you do the math. Now I have readers in the U.S., the U.K., Continental Europe, and Asia, I would recommend consulting an entomologist or zoologist if you have any area specific questions. You may have noticed I made up those vermin names…because rats and mice are nasty.

5.      Basic handling

Okay so where do I start? Hands. Your hands contain oils. Oils are bad for comics. Especially old comics. Wash your hands. No, seriously wash and dry your hands prior to handling your comics, and if they happen to be really old, you may want to consider handling them with white (lint free, lisle cotton) gloves. Like you see all those guys in museums on the History Channel wearing, gloves are made to protect fragile objects from the oils and other potential contaminants on the surface of your skin.

Positioning and repositioning? Are my comics Vertical or horizontal in the box?  When removing or replacing your comic in your acid and lignin free box, with your clean and gloved hands, that have previously shooed away bugs, vermin, people etc., then gently removing it from your Mylite2’s and placing it on your clean surface…yada yada yada. Personal preference as far as storing my books. I prefer vertical as I believe it can help to prevent spine roll, you may have other ideas. I respect that…but you’re wrong. Still do as you please what do I know… a lot, I’ve only been at this since before you were born. No seriously it really is a matter of room and preference. If you have space and feel comfortable than do so.  In the end it is your collection, your treasures,, time and money. You have to decide how much care and concern your collection deserves. For me the future Comickhamen, they are my ticket to eternity.

Next time on “Sounds Better in a Bubble” we will talk about another key issue. Until then, keep reading Comics…they’re brain food!!

 

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[1] The CGC website: http://www.cgccomics.com/

The PGX Website: http://www.pgxcomics.com/

 

MARVEL WHEN? OH...NOW.

Welcome back to “Sounds Better in a Bubble”. I have been on an extended writing hiatus in an effort to evaluate the offerings of the new MARVEL NOW re-launch. I wanted to give the comics a fair shake so I took a little time off to see what Marvel had in store for comic fans.

Some of you will of course be well aware that DC Comics re-launched their entire line-up of comics back in 2011 with the NEW 52. The entirety of DC’s Universe was taken out and replaced with new comics (new that is in the sense that they were revamped and restarted, not that specific titles were changed. Thus Superman is still Superman and you will still find Batman at home in Detective Comics, they just lost the original numbering system and restarted at #1.)

NEW 52 was very well received, with to use only a singular example the  NEW 52 title Justice League #1 has now been through 8+ reprinting’s. Commercial success was followed by critical success as well, even garnering a nod in the New York Times.  Overall despite some hiccups, a few controversies, and writing/artist changes, the transition from the old DC Universe to the NEW 52 has been relatively smooth and (mostly) welcome.

I guess you may be wondering why I am yammering on about DC’s NEW 52, when I already stated this blog is about MARVEL NOW, well I’m getting there. Be patient. I needed a frame of reference for re-launches and the NEW 52 is the easiest and most expedient model. Now the big 2 (Marvel and DC) are infamous for retconning (adding elements into the fictional continuity of a character or characters universe retroactively.) DC gives us a great example with the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” storyline, a dividing point in the DC Universe that kills off the so called “Multi-verse” with parallel Earth worlds holding characters analogous to ones within our own reality or even direct opposites (e.g. an evil Superman or Aquaman, who instead of helping the powerless use their gifts to rule over them.)[1] Despite this Crisis was less a re-launch than a condensing of the larger DC Universe.

Marvel has its own redesign work from past incarnations. One which many readers may be familiar with (even non-comic readers) is the Marvel Ultimate’s line. Wait you say, I’ve never read a comic in my life how would I know about the Ultimate’s? Ever seen any of these movies; Iron Man, The Avengers, The Hulk (Edward Norton version), Thor, or Captain America? Well if you did you may have noticed a fellow by the name of Samuel L. Jackson, playing a well-known and well-loved Marvel character, Nick Fury! I personally have enjoyed many an evening as a young boy/teen/adult, with Nick and his Howling Commandoes, or as the Director of Shield.[2] Funny thing though, I always seem to remember him as a Caucasian, Italian-American.

Now it is kind of hard, if not impossible to hate on Sam Jackson’s version of Nick Fury. The man did the Sgt. /Colonel justice, with no argument, but the African American version of Nick Fury first appears in the Marvel Ultimate’s line and not in the regular Marvel continuity.

The Ultimate’s was a reimagining of the Marvel multi-verse with tweaks to characters (e.g. Peter Parker our favorite web slinging, wall-crawler, is no longer a photographer for the Daily Bugle, but instead works on their website, or as we see with Fury, he comes from a different ethnic background) and not a reinvention of the Marvel world and its characters.

We are only a few months into MARVEL NOW, so what follows may seem harsh to some, bear with me faithful reader. When DC decided to launch the NEW 52, it was upfront about the changes to come, we knew that titles were going to be restarted and that some story elements would be changed PRIOR to receiving any issues. MARVEL NOW on the other hand has been less forthcoming with information before launch and this continues as titles continue to seep out from their prior incarnations. It would to this readers mind seem to be less of an organized re-launch of a universe, than a reaction to the success of the NEW 52. I may be wrong, but it would seem to me an admitted DC-ophile, who still bears a strong love for select Marvel titles (Namely, The Amazing Spider Man, Thor, Conan the Barbarian, The Savage Sword of Conan -prior to the current Dark Horse Conan lines- the aforementioned Nick Fury, and Daredevil) that Marvel is shooting itself in the foot.

Change is hard, especially when one has invested many years into an art form and beloved characters. To get a feeling for other opinions I conducted a (very) informal poll at three of the comic retailers that I frequent. I asked a series of questions of customers I noted purchasing specific MARVEL NOW titles, mainly X-Men related titles, as I have never been a fan of the series, and wanted some input relating to characters that I do not regularly read. Those titles were: All New X-Men, Cable and X-Force, Uncanny X-Force and X-Men Legacy (I also inquired about some of the new Avengers titles as members of the X-Men are now in their story lines.) I was surprised by some of the reactions.

What I gleaned from my (highly un-scientific) polling was a middle of the road consensus. Most consumers of these titles were unsure where these new comic lines were heading and were distraught over the loss of well-liked characters and teams.  There were to be sure some who found themselves madly in love with the changes, so to be fair I thought it best to mention their reactions as well. For me, I find myself…confused at times. The new Thor title jumps all over the timeline (lifetime) of the character, the new “Superior Spiderman” finds me in anguish over one of comics most cherished icons, and quite frankly has turned me off to a comic I have purchased regularly for nearly 35 years. I am not sure where MARVEL NOW is going and so far as a fan I am less than impressed.

So that may seem like a wet dish rag review, but I will give kudos to Marvel for some of the better MARVEL NOW (in my opinion) titles. Two titles that immediately come to mind: The New Avengers and The Indestructible Hulk. The New Avengers brings together the so called Illuminati of the Marvel hero world, current members include; Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Black Bolt, Dr. Strange, Tony Stark (Iron Man), Namor the Sub-Mariner, Steve Rogers (Captain America), and the Black Panther. The writing and art are superb for this title and I look forward to seeing where the story will go. The new Hulk series also receives high marks from my inner fanboy. The story seems very much like a natural progression for Bruce Banner’s alter ego, and in just two issues I was hooked on a series and story that was outside my regular rotation of characters.

On the technical side I applaud Marvel’s choice of paper stock for the new issues. It is very similar in quality to what you get from an issue of National Geographic. The finish work on the issues is far superior including what appears to be improved stapling. As a collector the choice of paper is very important and I believe that many will find the new stock to hold both the ink and coloring, as well as suffer from less degradation over time. To some the technical side may seem less important, but imagine you subscribe to 10 bi-weekly titles at 4.99$ per issue, that is nearly 1200 dollars per year just in new issues, not counting what the average collector spends on back issues per year (trust me it's a lot, just ask my wife.)

In the end the decision to remold a well known universe is a gamble. I have to keep reminding myself that for some, comics are business, and not necessarily art. That business, to survive and receive support from shareholders, must be viable and sell. It is my sincere hope that MARVEL NOW was a decision based on the integrity and continuation of the art form, rather than strictly on potential sales. I may be a dreamer but some fellow from Liverpool assures me I’m not the only one. In my next blog I will concentrate on proper and archival grade storage solutions for the comic collector, until next time, happy reading comic fans.

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[1] This 12 part series begins with Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 April 1985 and ends with issue #12 from March 1986

[2] Nick Fury and His Howling Commandoes, 167 total issues. Cover date starts March 1963 and ends December 1981. Fury also appears in other Marvel titles such as Strange Tales and Marvel Spotlight among others..