Conan the Barbarian #1 (1970, Marvel)
When Marvel Comics published Conan the Barbarian #1 in October 1970, they were taking a calculated risk on a licensed property based on Robert E. Howard's pulp fiction character. The result was one of the longest-running licensed comic series in the company's history and a defining text of the Bronze Age. Issue #1 introduces readers to Marvel's interpretation of the Cimmerian warrior, with Roy Thomas's faithful adaptation of Howard and Barry Windsor-Smith's raw but compelling early art.
The Robert E. Howard Background
Conan the Barbarian was created by Texas writer Robert E. Howard in 1932, appearing in a series of stories for the pulp magazine Weird Tales. Howard's stories depicted Conan's adventures across a fictional Hyborian Age world, mixing sword-and-sorcery with dark fantasy and vigorous action. Howard took his own life in 1936 at age 30, but Conan endured through posthumous publication and continuation by other writers.
Marvel obtained the license in 1970, and editor Stan Lee assigned it to Roy Thomas, who was deeply invested in Howard's original material. Thomas's scholarship and affection for the source material made the Marvel series more faithful to Howard's vision than many licensed adaptations of the era.
Issue #1: "By This Axe I Rule"
The debut issue adapted Howard's first Conan story in Weird Tales, "By This Axe I Rule!" (originally published 1936). Thomas and Windsor-Smith translated Howard's narrative into comics form with genuine care. Windsor-Smith's art in this early period shows his developing style, not yet the refined decorative quality of his later Conan work, but full of kinetic energy and period detail.
The issue's cover, showing Conan in combat against soldiers, announced the character's visual type clearly: large, muscular, dark-haired, wielding an axe with evident ferocity. The visual template established here would define Conan in popular culture for decades.
Key elements: the first appearance of the Marvel Comics Conan in print, the beginning of a Roy Thomas run that would extend for over 100 issues, and the start of Barry Windsor-Smith's formative work that would develop into the magnificent art of issues #14-24.
Barry Windsor-Smith's Development
One reason Conan the Barbarian #1 is particularly interesting to comics historians is what it documents: Windsor-Smith's artistic beginning. His style in issue #1 shows clear influences from Neal Adams, with heavy inks and an architectural approach to figure drawing. Over the following two years on the title, his work transformed dramatically, incorporating Art Nouveau influences, denser decorative detail, and a more refined line. By issue #24 ("Red Nails"), Windsor-Smith had arrived at one of the most distinctive styles in Bronze Age comics.
Issue #1 is the starting point of that development, which gives it an art-historical significance beyond just being a first issue.
Condition Grades and Values
| Grade | Description | Value Range |
|---|---|---|
| CGC 9.8 (NM/MT) | Perfect or near-perfect copy | $800 - $2,000+ |
| CGC 9.6 (NM+) | Excellent condition | $300 - $600 |
| CGC 9.4 (NM) | Near Mint | $150 - $300 |
| CGC 9.2 (NM-) | Very strong copy | $100 - $180 |
| CGC 8.5-9.0 (VF+/VF/NM) | Very fine to near fine | $60 - $120 |
| Raw VF (8.0) | Very fine, ungraded | $40 - $80 |
| Fine (6.0) | Fine condition | $20 - $40 |
| Lower grades | Circulated condition | $8 - $20 |
Newsstand copies are generally less common in top grade than direct market copies for this era, though the distribution system in 1970 means all copies are newsstand variants (the direct market did not exist yet).
Building a Conan Collection
Conan the Barbarian has a dedicated collector base that focuses on the early Roy Thomas/Windsor-Smith run (issues #1-24 approximately), with particular emphasis on the key Barry Windsor-Smith issues and the original appearances of important characters from Howard's stories.
Issue #1 as a first issue, first Marvel Conan appearance, and Windsor-Smith's starting point makes it the essential foundation of any serious Conan collection.
Related Items
Have This Item?
Our AI appraisal tool is coming soon. Upload photos, get instant identification and valuation.
Get Appraisal