Written by Written by Jukka Issakainen
Recently, my co-partner Adam made an extensive article about why He-Man is NOT Mattel’s attempt to produce a Conan action figure, only to change hair-color in the last minute after seeing the film in May 1982 – the dates don’t match (among many other discrepancies).
On the other hand, one can certainly see that the people who worked on Masters of the Universe were influenced by the barbaric fantasy-artworks of Frank Frazetta (on topics like Conan and more).
There are numerous cases where we have seen… homaging? referencing? swiping? certain elements and images from Conan the Barbarian in official media for He-Man. Now this is not to shame any of the artists working on the brand. In the examples from the UK Annuals, we don’t know all the circumstances or motivations behind the creation of a little book aimed at kids. Maybe there was a rush with the deadlines so the artists (many uncredited/unknown) resorted to taking old comic panels as inspiration.
This one. 😂
There wouldn’t be a He-Man without Conan so why not.
The crazy part is that the Frazetta Lancer paperback covers and Schwarzenegger movie depictions have cemented Conan as a musclebound barbarian in the mainstream public’s eye – when he was never actually described as such by R.E. Howard.
Whereas He-Man, taking inspiration from the muscular barbarian phenomenon of the early 80s, was designed to emulate that larger than life physique.
The best part? They both played such a pivotal role in pop-culture at the time, and as such, have remained popular for decades… not only because of their shared similarities, but because each became part of a larger, unique world that told captivating stories and lit up the imaginations of both children and adults alike.
@ornclown Howard described Conan to be tall and muscled but more leaner like a panther. The actor who played Beastmaster had the Conan physique proper.
@longtooth Precisely… that is why in his first Marvel comics appearance, Conan was drawn much more lithe by Barry Smith and later, when his Frazetta-esque design became the norm, John Buscema penciled him as such.
Now, don’t get me wrong… I love (read: LOVE) John Buscema’s depiction of Conan. In fact, it is my preferred style and I adore any of the Conan books that feature John’s work and Roy Thomas’s scripts.
But, the fact remains, Conan had more of a runner’s / climber’s physique as described by Howard before the muscled version took hold.
There are no original ideas.