J David Spurlock writes for Bleeding Cool,

It is an adventure to watch a true artist develop. In the history of American comic books, the most fascinating artistic evolutions are arguably, Wallace "Wally" Wood on EC's Weird Science in the '50s; Steranko on Agent of SHIELD in the '60s and Barry Windsor-Smith on Conan at the dawn of the '70s.

Many know that Barry Windsor-Smith (like Steranko before him), came to be so devoted to his artistic vision that, beginning with Conan #10, BWS usually did his own color, which is practically unheard of in the near-assembly-line methods of mainstream American comicbooks. But very few recall —or NEVER knew— that, BWS was so dedicated that he also colored a number of the 1st reprintings of his Conan stories that he had NOT colored in the regular run.

Knowing of Marvel's planned Conan Omnibus, the first single volume EVER designed to collect all of Barry's total, original, historic Conan run, I reached out to Marvel to make sure the current powers that be, were aware of these important historic facts. I campaigned for Marvel to run Barry's own color on EVERY story he ever colored in this Omnibus—over 100 more pages of BWS's unique color. Marvel REFUSED; opting to recreate the inferior non-BWS color instead.

Marvel consciously choose to assume collectors would prefer Marvel's most simplistic concept of nostalgia over TRUE, history-making ART, which stands to this day as one of the high points in both the history of the industry and the art form. So often, with standard mainstream superhero fare, that decision would have been fine. But not this time, watching an artist blossom from a "Kirby clone" to a modern-day Pre-Raphaelite who, with his famous colleagues in THE Studio, led the 1970s renaissance in fantasy art! It could —SHOULD— have been the ULTIMATE BWS CONAN. In many ways, it is a fine book. But, considering it took nearly a half century to get this close, it needs to be said, Marvel BLEW IT! As the old adage goes: So close, yet so far.

J. David Spurlock is a Creator Rights Advocate, best-selling art book author, Director of The Wallace Wood Estate, Agent Emeritus for Julius Schwartz, Agent Emeritus for Carmine Infantino, Co-Founder, Steranko Spirit of America Fund, Co-Founder, Wallace Wood Scholarship Fund, Associate to Peter Max, Steranko, Frazetta, Neal Adams, Joe Kubert, Co-founder of Comics Creators for Holocaust Education, President Emeritus of the Society of Illustrators – Dallas, Professor Emeritus at The School of Visual Arts, Member of the Wyman Institute Arts & Letters Council, Creator of The Space Cowboy, Professor Emeritus at The Kubert School, Inkwell Awards Ambassador, and Founder of the critically acclaimed Vanguard Publishing. © J. David Spurlock 2019