When you say “the early Conan the Barbarian comics” different artists come to mind. The first will certainly be Barry Windsor Smith who drew the first two dozen issues. Or you may think of John Buscema who carried on the legacy after him, drawing countless issues. Or you may think of inkers like Ernie Chan, Tony de Zugnia or Alfred Alcala who gave John’s work a certain sparkle. But one you may not think of is Gil Kane.

Inked by Tom Palmer

Gil Kane (1926-2000) was a rambler, going from project to project, never really doing the decades-long jobs that cemented your work on one chracter. But from April 1973 to August 1977 (issues #25 to #77), Gil was the man behind the covers. Not the stories inside (though he did do some of those too) but the first images you saw at corner store. Inked by everyone from Ernie Chan to Tom Palmer to Pablo Marcos, his covers were always exciting, making you want to buy that issue for sure! Some of my best memories of the original run were those covers.

Here is a selection of my favorites:

Inked by Ralph Reese

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by John Romita

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by Neal Adams

Inked by Tom Palmer

Inked by Vince Colletta

Inked by Pablo Marcos

Inked by Pablo Marcos

Inked by Pablo Marcos

Inked by Ernie Chan

Inked by Ernie Chan

inked by Gil Kane

Inked by Ernie Chan