Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Marvel Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: auction, conan, jack kirby

Jack Kirby's Only Conan For Marvel, Original Artwork At Auction

Published Thu, 13 Jan 2022 07:57:12 -0600

Jack Kirby is not known for drawing Conan The Barbarian. But he did draw Conan once for publication, the cover to Giant-Size Conan #5 back in 1975, the comic currently being revived at Marvel Comics. And the original artwork for that cover is currently at auction from Heritage Auctions as part of their Premium collection. Going under the hammer today, it has currently received bids just shy of $50,000. The cover was inked by Joe Sinnott, and the face redrawn by John Romita Sr for a more house-style version of Conan as instructed by EIC Stan Lee. So you have even more big Marvel Comics Bullpen names working on this comic book than usual. Might be worth keeping an eye on?

Jack Kirby, John Romita, Sr., and Joe Sinnott Giant-Size Conan #5 Cover Original Art (Marvel Comics, 1975). This is the only time Jack "King" Kirby ever drew Conan for publication. Kirby's emphatic return to Marvel Comics – from a productive but ill-appreciated five-year hitch at DC Comics – found the chief architect of the Marvel style in renewed control of his historic signature character, Captain America, in addition to various new concepts and catch-as-can assignments including this Conan-series cover. Here is a tantalizing glimpse of Kirby's approach to a heroic protagonist not customarily associated with his style. Source-author Robert E. Howard would have admired Kirby's rugged nature. The cover is a slightly collaborative effort, with Conan's face modified by Romita at the behest of Marvel honcho Stan Lee. The reunion with overall inker Sinnott is a welcome reminder of the seamless Kirby-Sinnott pages for early-day tales of The Fantastic Four. Ink over graphite on Bristol board with paste-up stat logotype and boilerplate. A production error (corrected for publication) states the issue as #1. The bottom margin has been trimmed off and reattached with tape. The image area measures 10" x 15", and is in Very Good condition.