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Barry Windsor-Smith Conan The Barbarian #15 Cover Art At Auction

Published Mon, 15 Nov 2021 08:57:14 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Barry Windsor-Smith recently published Monster, his 300-page-plus reworking of an original planned Hulk comic book which pioneered the idea of Bruce Banner's Hulk being born in an abusive childhood, nicked by Bill Mantlo, leaving BWS to pull the story entirely and spend the next three decades working on it. His relationship with Marvel was often a fractious one but there is no doubt that he rose to fame on Marvel Comics titles, especially Conan The Barbarian, which saw his style switch from a Neal Adams-alike to the stylised Barry Windsor-Smith we know today. His Conan work has always been in demand but the cover to Conan #15 being auctioned by Heritage Auctions, going under the hammer from the 18th to the 21st of November, is already looking to break records after it has received bids of $120,000 so far… it is bound to inspire other collectors to check their BWS original artwork and maybe bring them to market. It can;'t just be Dave Sim doing this.

Barry Windsor-Smith Conan The Barbarian #15 Cover Art At Auction at Heritage

Barry Smith Conan the Barbarian #15 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1972). Smith defined Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero for a generation of comic readers during the early 70s, creating artwork that enthralled fans and peers alike. This cover is a wonderful example of Smith's interpretation of the Cimmerian barbarian, as he stands with Elric of Melniboné against "The Hell-Hordes of Chaos!" Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Marvel cover stock Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Slight toning, stat logo/header, title, and text (including Smith's signature) paste-ups. Pinholes in the margins, adhesive residue and production oil staining, whiteout corrections, corner tape abrasions, with light creasing, smudging, and edge/handling wear. Inscribed by Smith in the bottom margin and in Very Good condition.