Monday, November 7, 2011
Crom the Barbarian!
Numbered amongst Gardner Fox's many comic writings is a sword-and-sorcery tale called "Crom the Barbarian!," which appeared in the June 1950 issue of Out of This World. The story borrows heavily (and shamelessly) from Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age for ideas and names, so it's not exactly a work of art. Still, it's one of the earliest S&S comics in existence and I thought others might get a kick out of it. Here's the first page:
You can see scans of the whole story here, in this thread at the official Conan forums, where poster Theaganes made them available. "Crom the Barbarian!" is in the public domain, too, so if anyone out there is looking for a hot property to base their next old school RPG on, feel free to make use of this one.
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Naming your character Crom is something a D&D player might do! :)
ReplyDeleteMr. Fox would have fit right in at a Gaming Table. Any idea if he ever played D&D? It seems unlikely that he wouldn't have. Considering how often he was published in The Dragon, he certainly had quite a bit of exposure to the game.
From the linked thread:
ReplyDeleteNOTE - Like all of Avon's comic stories, this work is now in the public domain and these images are my personal scans.
Is that something special that Avon did proactively? Because I don't think 1950 is old enough to fall naturally into the public domain.
Because I don't think 1950 is old enough to fall naturally into the public domain.
ReplyDeleteIn 1950, copyright length was 28 years, renewable once for an additional 28 years. Works not already in the public domain by 1976 had their extension term increased to 47 years, for a total of a 75-year term. I can only presume that Avon did not renew the copyright on this comic, when its initial term was up in 1978, though it's not a topic I've specifically researched.
Now that's what I call old school!
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty bad!
ReplyDeleteSo James, what is the best premade system out there to play Sword and Sorcery type games?
ReplyDeleteSo James, what is the best premade system out there to play Sword and Sorcery type games?
ReplyDeleteMy answer would depend on what you mean by "sword and sorcery," but, that said, I think the original Stormbringer rules by Chaosium are probably my favorite -- bloody combats and dangerous, soul-destroying magic.
I have seen it, never bought. Which edition is your favorite? 1st Ed I assume?
ReplyDeleteI have seen it, never bought. Which edition is your favorite? 1st Ed I assume?
ReplyDelete1e is the only version of Stormbringer I have much experience with, so, yes, it's my favorite, but it's my understanding that the 1st through 3rd editions are all fairly close to one another.