I’ve been writing comics about tough men with swords for a while now, and if there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that swords and fighting don’t make the man. People of this era and of this genre, whether it is historical or more fantastical, are not defined by their accessories, but by strength of character. By the time a guy like Conan hits the right age to pick up a sword, the world around him has been shaping his character for some time already.
This is what appeals to me about this genre. It always has, even going back to when I was a kid. It was the environments that were cool, the hardships, and the epic struggle of man vs. the elements. I liked to imagine what it took to survive in places and times like that, and what it took to thrive. And the answer always comes from the hearts and souls of the characters.
This is what I brought to Conan when I was asked to pitch the adaptation of “Queen Of The Black Coast.” It’s a great story, the Robert E. Howard original, and it’s exactly the sort of stuff I live for: dark and tragic shot through with moments of happiness and hope. I, like a lot of people, hear Conan and think of the films first, but that’s not the Conan who we find in the pages of this story. The Conan we have is a younger Conan, not as weathered and bitter, but a lively guy who’s about to meet and fall in love with the woman of his dreams. And that’s not too far off from the literal truth . . . The northern myths of warrior women that no doubt filled Conan’s head as a youth are the first thing he thinks of when hearing the stories of Bélit, the fearsome and savagely beautiful pirate queen. And what she sees in him is the perfect embodiment of a hardened northern warrior. A match made in heaven, or at least Hyboria.
Conan and Bélit will spend a couple years together, over the course of the twenty-five issues of the comic I’ll be writing. I’ve mapped out a half dozen stories that will show a range of highs and lows, of intense action and more quiet moments. And always, I’m looking at the hearts and souls of these characters to drive the story. When times are great, they are literally high on the love they share and the passion and hunger to explore their world. When times are low, the weight of it all threatens to break them apart. Conan, for all his strength and power, is not an infallible character. In fact, he’s prone to making mistakes, especially in these early years, and it’s part of why this story, and others, are so popular—they directly inform who he becomes later in life.
I’m working on this book with Becky Cloonan, a friend and longtime collaborator who understands exactly what I’m going for. Forget those annoying couples that finish each other’s sentences . . . Becky could probably finish my script pages for me, so much are we simpatico. She’s perfect for this version of Conan, and she is as into this genre as I am. And as time goes on, look for other artists to come onto this epic arc, each bringing something truly new to the story.
This is not Conan and Bélit’s first time on the comic-book page, but I’m trying to make this definitive, to go beyond a perfectly literal adaptation of the source material and get into their time together in detail, with as much of the heart and soul it calls for.
Brian Wood