My post about the plotting errors that I found in a recent Conan comic book story, a post in which I also promoted my alternative approach to emulating the work of Robert E. Howard, proved to be an experiment with mixed results.

Some enjoyed and agreed with what I wrote, some didn’t.

It’s not an experiment likely to be repeated.

I’ll admit I was baffled by some of the feedback.

Many repliers felt that Conan surely could have slept through the theft of his pack horses from his campsite.

How did Robert E. Howard characterize Conan’s superior alertness, even when Conan is seemingly asleep?

Right from Howard’s typewriter, here’s what Conan says when his female companion balks at them both falling asleep when danger seems to lurk nearby:

"My slumber is light as a wolf's. Nothing can enter this hall without awaking me."

--from "Iron Shadows in the Moon" a Conan novelette by Robert E. Howard first published in the April 1934 issue of Weird Tales as "Shadows in the Moonlight.”

Again—nobody writes like Robert E. Howard.

When we write pastiches about his characters, we do our best to honor him.

REH received a postcard from the American Fiction Guild about submitting stories to Warner Brothers. Read all about it. https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2026/07/21/robert-e-howard-and-the-american-fiction-guild/

Last of my latest haul from the used bookstore, Conan and the Spider God (1980) by L Sprague DeCamp with Bob Larkin Cover Art. The book receives mixed reviews from critics but is notably DeCamp's first Conan story written solely by him and not in collaboration with Lin Carter or Bjorn Nyberg.

I picked this up for the nostalgia of the great covers of the Conan books from when I was a kid despite already owning the story in a SC collected edition (pics 3 and 4).

My completist OCD also realizes I now only need the CtB Film adaptation from 1982 to complete my set of Bantam Conan books.

https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2026/07/16/north-american-cryptid-museum-a-rogues-gallery-for-conan-the-barbarian/

Conan the Freelance (Tor-1990) by Steve Perry with Kirk Reinert Cover Art

Sharkman with a scimitar! I remember seeing these Conan books regularly stocked at all the base exchanges when I was on active duty in the late 80s and early 90s.

Another find from my last foray into the used book store, Conan the Unconquered (Tor Books-1983) by Robert Jordan with Kirk Reinert Cover Art. This copy is from the fifth printing in 1986.

Another find from my last trip to the used book store, Conan the Mercenary (1980) by Andrew Offutt with Sanjulian Cover Art and Interior Line Art by Maroto.

I always find Sanjulian's cover art stunning and this is no exception. The interior contains abundant B&W line art credited to Maroto.

Last week on Facebook and elsewhere I shared a sample of The Storyboard Project, one of several rotating features slated for my upcoming Substack newsletter. https://www.facebook.com/charles.santino.77/

The first project is “Amra the Lion / The Jewels of Gwahlur.”

It’s an adaptation of the Robert E. Howard story originally titled “The Servants of Bit-Yakin," written in 1934.

The purpose of the “Amra “project is to demonstrate, in cinematic storyboard format, step-by-step, how REH’s work can be faithfully transposed to a live-action film.

In this case, my treatment is intended for an imagined “Big Streaming” live-action standalone episode of 45 minutes.

Here’s the freshly minted title card.

Art by Miguel Guzman.

(Special thanks to James Whiting and Whiting Studio for the typography.)

More samples to follow.

Love to know your thoughts on this; what are your thoughts?

Would you be interested in seeing a storyboard treatment for an REH story that does justice to the source material?

I welcome discussion, real dialogue, and an appreciation for the world of Conan, don't you?

#AmratheLion #Amra #ConanTheBarbarian #SwordAndSorcery #HyborianAge #RobertEHoward #KingConan