#conan the usurper

[curtvilescomic]

Conan The Usurper by Roberto de la Torre

[head-vampire]

“Conan the Usurper” by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp (1967)

Cover art by Frank Frazetta

[studiotriggerfan397]

"Chained" ("Conan the Usurper") by Frank Frazetta.

[vintagerpg]

War of Darkness (1986) features a Frank Frazetta painting of Conan. Believe you me, the adventure under the cover does not live up to that bold promise. Interior art is by a bunch of folks with no clear credit. It’s all to the Role Aids standard, which is generally pretty good quality.

So, the plot. War is coming. Characters are part of the army. Some rube demon has usurped Orcus as lord of the undead and is trying to take over the world. Players are charged with seeking out a fortress that contains an altar to the new demon and destroying it in hopes of wounding him, or something. That altar also happens to be where the demon hid Orcus’ soul, so destroying it actually brings Orcus back to power and he quickly deals with the usurper. I might have wanted to find the solution where the war is ended and there are no demonic lords of the undead around, but that’s just me, I guess. The castle is fine, though it has the same problem with every Role Aids dungeon I’ve read in that the monster selection inevitably makes the place feel random and generic.

Not a bad module, really, but not terribly satisfying either.

[pinktie]

What do you think of the Suzuki family? Sonoko's proud of her family but is quite down to earth otherwise. Her aneki/older sister Ayako doesn't seem to care and just wants to study films and marry Tomizawa Yuuzou her boyfriend and fiance. Tomoko is a very cool matriarch who likes teasing people and Shirou is the chairman and CEO of the Suzuki Financial Corporation who is a martial arts fan, I love how she calls them Mama and Papa. Jiroukichi is old enough to be her grandfather but she calls him uncle and her niece because he is her father's cousin, he's semi-retired from his advisor position and just wants to continue winning challenges and earning fame - he's in his prime and these are his glory days, how inspirational. Lupin is his guard dog and best friend who is cared for by maids but he always goes on adventures with him, poor Getou Zengo was usurped as a bodyguard (lucky him Lupin's stubborn but too friendly to be a watchdog, growling at dangerous people isn't safe either!).

Yeah, I like the Suzukis family as well.

I have a funny feeling that the reason why Gosho makes them so nice is because, in Detective Conan's world, you can get killed for being a jerk 1 time. So, by making her entire family upstanding people, he wouldn't have to kill them. Thus, Sonoko doesn't have to go through an arc or anything. (Which is good or bad, depending on your preference)

[scottwbeattie]

Review: Conan the Barbarian Epic Collection 4: Queen of the Black Coast

As Good a Place as Any to Dive in

Although I have seen both Arnold Schwarzenegger films, I had never read a single Conan the Barbarian comic. Had my son not given me Queen of the Black Coast for my birthday (he chose it by default: it was the only Epic at the bookstore that I didn’t already own), then I might have gone my entire life without reading one. However, after having finished this volume, I’m very glad that I had the chance.

Prior to this volume, I read a Hulk Epic Collection from the same period and noticed some parallels between the two titles. Conan comics are very easy to jump into, because, like Hulk comics, they follow a familiar pattern; Conan is a cross between the Hulk and a Clint Eastwood gunslinger who comes into a new place and is immediately drawn into the place’s existing conflict. Conan comics can also be much more intricate than Hulk comics, because the fantasy setting allows for more and the character isn’t as overpowered as the Hulk. The bulk of this volume is devoted to one 6- and one 4- issue arc, which begin simply enough but grow in complexity, and eventually include necromancers, usurpers, scorpion statues that come to life, and gigantic shadow monsters.

Roy Thomas deftly captures the tone of pulpy fantasy adventure, and there’s a hilarious trope where every woman who meets Conan falls in love with him instantaneously. Thomas also seems to do a great job of balancing adding lore from the novels into the comics while also adding his own original ideas and characters. For example, in this volume, Red Sonja (another character that I know of without knowing anything about) guest-stars in a arc where she and Conan battle a pair of vampire siblings. Conan also briefly gains a pair of sidekicks in Tara and Yusef, who, I assume, were created by Thomas and may eventually return. Finally, in the titular arc, Conan’s lover Belit is introduced into the comics for the first time.

The great John Buscema draws every issue in this collection, other than a single one. My understanding is that Buscema was never that passionate about superheroes but loved fantasy, and that enthusiasm really shines through in his work here. There’s one issue Savage Sword of Conan, and, as a reader, the black and white format only highlights what a remarkable penciller Buscema was.

Something that I’m really glad was included in this volume (and maybe every volume of Conan?) was a map of Hyboria. As a newcomer to Conan, I was especially interested in the various countries and found myself flipping back to the map every time a place was mentioned. Admittedly, this could just be my obsessive brain at work, but I think it was a great addition to the book.

I didn’t go into this Epic with any expectations, but I enjoyed it enough that I’d like to continue reading Conan. That said, I’m not sure that I’ll get the opportunity; now that Marvel no longer holds the license, we won’t be getting any reprints, and I don’t see myself getting the Titan collections. If I do happen across any other Conan books at a not-outrageous price though, I won’t hesitate to pick them up.

[vicsage2005]

"They were taken to the hall of King Osric, the Usurper. Once a powerful Northman like my lord, but now old and sotted." - Conan the Barbarian (1982) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnWrQEaukJd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[casbeeminestiel]

My Spotify top three this year are going to be (probably in this order):

Taylor Swift

Lord Huron (could have usurped Taylor tbh)

Hozier

The next few will be LP, Mt. Joy, Pentatonix, and Coldplay. I don’t know what order. I could see Harry Styles, Conan Gray, and Sam Smith up there too.

[manyworldspress]

Frank Frazetta, Chained, 1967. Oil on masonite, 16 x 20 inches. Cover illustration for Conan the Usurper, by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp (Lancer Books, 1967).

__________________________________________________ Our shop: https://bookshop.org/shop/manyworldspress

[all-action-all-picture]

Conan the Usurper by Robert E. Howard, edited by L. Sprague de Camp. Volume Four of the Complete Conan.

Cover by Frank Frazetta.

[geekynerfherder]

'Chained' by Frank Frazetta.

Cover art for 'Conan The Usurper', written by Robert E Howard and L Sprague de Camp, published in 1967 by Lancer Books.

[frazettagirls]

Frank Frazetta's "Dusk Till Dawn," unused poster artwork for the 1996 Robert Rodriguez horror-thriller From Dusk Till Dawn.

After the disappearance of over ten years, Frazetta surprised everyone when he resurfaced in the world of movie advertising with his one-sheet art for film director (and Frazetta fan) Robert Rodriguez's 1996 over-the-top horror/crime thriller From Dusk Till Dawn. Although the alternate non-Frazetta photo-collage became the studio's ad art of choice, Frazetta turned in a juicy piece of artwork, ripe with Frazetta demons and a sexy Frazetta Girl (Santanico, played by Salma Hayek.)

This original artwork is owned by Robert Rodriguez, along with many other Frazetta originals such as Moon Maid, Fire and Ice, Stranded, Conan The Usurper, and Requiem for a Shark, to name a few. Rodriguez displayed his original art collection at Austin's SXSW festival for consecutive years. While he works on films and TV series, Rodriguez enjoys bringing directors, actors, producers, writers, and musicians to private viewings of his Frazetta collection.

Fine Art Prints: FrazettaGirls.com

#DuskTillDawn #FrazettaGirls #RobertRodriguez #FrankFrazeta

Robert Rodriguez

[hexfloog]

So, ShinRan: think there's any way in hell it could actually work, even without the whole Conan thing?

Ehheh, so... a disclaimer: my brain is not really wired to think about ships or romance in general, and it's never been something I've devoted much thought to in any franchise, really. Idk if this is because I'm aro af or what and just don't have a radar for it (uncomfirmed), but I can think of a grand total of like two ships I actively enjoy... across all my fandoms. Mad respect for people who can put thoughtful effort into analyzing that sort of thing beyond surface-level cuteness (which is where I mostly stand on this), so that said, my thoughts on any kind of ship-- even ShinRan-- are incredibly scant, and at this point in time I subscribe to it mostly because it's overtly canon.

I think, subconsciously, I HC Shinichi as ace/heteroromantic. But he's a teenager, there's a lot of people who don't really know where they stand at that age and he's so engrossed in his passions (cough, work) outside of his personal life that he also probably just doesn't really know much in the way of intimacy outside of Ran, what with his absentee (also laissez-faire) parents and otherwise few friends. And even what he does know, I think, amounts to very little. In short, I think he's inexperienced and it translates to shaky ground on which to base my observations.*

*In all fairness, this is a bit hard for me to gauge as most of their interactions prior to Conan are told in flashback and simultaneously framed by both Ran and the show's narrative to keep Shinichi centered as the Hero... some conflicts of interest exist there, I think. Is Ran really just naïve, or is the narrative trying to justify Shinichi's sometimes tactlessness behavior for the sake of the audience?

Just in general though, I'm not a huge fan of the childhood sweetheart setup for a romantic relationship. It makes for some cute, fluffy content for sure, but as a healthy couple I think they would need more time to work things out-- which they won't have until the whole Conan thing resolves itself, honestly. He (Conan) does need to go before any real progress can be made; The Whole Situation is just such a huge hindrance to anything they could feasibly make progress on together for a variety of reasons... like being forced to communicate in secret all the time, to say the least. Personally, I even believe that the few times he's able to appear to her in his own body are even more damaging than if he just... didn't. The usual intent is to appease Ran's suspicions, yes? But... doesn't it end up being more detrimental than not? Like who else does he serve-- aside from scratching his own itch by proxy-- by transforming every now and then?

Speaking of Ran: I firmly believe she has some serious abandonment issues, caused by circumstances largely out of her control-- which Shinichi is absolutely not helping by being secretive all the time-- and I think what she really wants is stability, as a result. Her estranged parents forced her to grow up way too fast and even before Conan came under her wing she was already practically a young mother. (I just watched OVA 6, and it kinda hurt watching Shinichi flashback to watching her buy groceries growing up over the years, no doubt because Eri was no longer in the picture and Kogoro, the remaining parent, is Irresponsible.) She didn't choose that, this balancing act of keeping her father in check and trying to enjoy her youth, and if Shinichi is one of her only tethers to a way out of that, it's... not a particularly healthy setup to romance, imo. Maybe it's my complete lack of a shipping radar, maybe it's from personal experience, but I think that their relationship is less romantic at this stage and more "extremely good friends."

Anyway - you asked if I think it would work, and... Maybe? To us, the viewers, it feels like an eternity has elapsed in the DC-verse, but canonically it's only been what, a year or so? Even absent the Conan Predicament, I don't think they've been an item-- or even seriously thinking of themselves as an item-- for long enough to really know for sure. Given that they only became official in the midst of *gestures wildly* All of This I think I'd be making an unfair verdict when they started at a huge disadvantage in the first place.

All that said about Ran - I also think her desire for normalcy is what keeps her waiting for Shinichi. I don't think she'd let that go anytime soon, and also what I think could drive her motivation to make it work. I'm slightly less confident about Shinichi; he clearly cares deeply for her, but the ways he goes about showing it (ahem, the Big Secret) seems misguided at times, not to speak of the apparent temptation to usurp her place in his priorities with his passions (ahem, How This Whole Thing Got Started).

As an aside... one of several things I constantly hope for is more meaningful dialogue over the phone. Since it's their only real avenue of communicating until further notice, it's a window into the potentially uncomfortable and a way for the more troubled parts of their relationship to be explored, but like many things in this show, the possibility is merely teased and not tread. An example which comes to mind is their brief conversation from Movie 2, when Ran is confiding in Shinichi over the possibility Kogoro may have taken a needlessly reckless risk in Eri's hostage situation (Funi dialogue below):

"Hey, Rachel. It's been a while." "Jimmy?" "Dr. Agasa told me what's going on with your dad. I'm really sorry." "Sorry doesn't keep people alive, Jimmy! We need your help, get back here right away!" "I can't, I'm backed up with cases of my own. I won't be back there for some time." [Defeated] "...Yeah." "Now don't be like that, Rachel. Dr. Agasa brought me up to speed on the entire case, so if I can figure anything out, I'll let you guys know, okay?" [Pause] "Jimmy... would you have shot... me?" "Huh?" "Now I know... that's why she left. She could never trust him not to put her in danger again." [Pause] "I heard about that case, also. Richard shot her." "It doesn't matter how sure of himself he was, he shouldn't... have put his wife in jeopardy like that. You wouldn't have fired the gun if it were me, would you, Jimmy?" "Come on, Rachel. Don't ask me things like that."

Honestly the fact that Kogoro/Eri and Shinichi/Ran's relationship is often paralleled, I especially find the above conversation really intriguing (the stuff in bold) and I wish it weren't cut short--

TL;DR I'm not well-tuned to analyze ships, but as both Shinichi and Ran are still teenagers and the Current Circumstances keep getting in the way of their relationship... I think the possibility still exists to make things work, in spite of my believing the foundation of 'childhood sweetheart' is a bit rocky.

[jtmercronin]

Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a fictional character created by writer Robert E. Howard and portrayed by Kevin Sorbo in Kull The Conqueror 1997. Kull was more introspective than the subsequent creation, Conan the Barbarian, whose first appearance was in a re-write of a rejected Kull story. 

Kull was born into a tribe settled in the Tiger Valley of Atlantis. The valley was flooded exterminating the tribe while Kull was sole survivor, living as a feral child for many years. Kull was captured and adopted by the Sea-Mountain tribe. Adolescent Kull offers a quick death to a woman judged to be publicly executed by burning for choosing a Lemurian, an age old enemy of Atlanteans as her partner. As recompense, the Sea-Mountain tribe pursue Kull attempting to kill him for obstructing the execution and drive him into exile from Atlantis. 

Attempting to reach the continent, Thuria, Kull was instead captured by Lemurian Pirates. He spent two years a galley slave as an oarsman. The slaves take their freedom by mutiny and run as pirates raiding and smuggling. Kull later earns the command of his own crew until surviving losing a naval battle in Valusian waters. 

Kull resolved to to become an outlaw in Valusia until His capture and incarceration in a dungeon then offered the choice: execution or service as a gladiator. He chose the latter gaining fame in the arenas of the capital, a number of fans helped to regain his freedom. Afterwards Kull joined the Royal army as a mercenary, rising through the ranks. 

Approaching his thirties, is presented a mission by King Borna of Valusia to kill the sorcerer Rotath of Lemuria. Kull succeeds and is promoted to General and the command of royal army mercenaries. Borna is becoming known for for his cruelty and despotism leading to civil war consolidating power with the army's backbone of mercenaries to revolt against Bruna. Kull kills Bruna, who had killed his sons and heirs in a mad rage and usurps the throne of Valusia in his early thirties. 

Kull reaches his middle forties and becoming progressively more introspective in The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune, his adventures and sorties fueled by struggling with his own mortality.

[elftwink]

imagine dragons usurped from the top artist position to make room for cjr, who i listened to for 1000 something minutes. i have no idea how long this is. also my top song while in retrospect not at all surprising was actually checkmate by conan gray.

also i don’t listen to podcasts on spotify which made the section on podcasts hilarious “you’ve listened to 41 minutes of podcasts” i assure you spotify, the actual number of minutes is several orders of magnitude higher

[ratatoskryggdrasil]

Frank Franzetta, Conan the Usurper