Savage Tales Feature Pages

A Probable Outline of Roy Thomas' Career

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... Conan's comic-book chronicler was born, not on a battlefield during a skirmish with a horde of raiding Vanir, but in a single-stroy frame house in Jackson, Missouri.

... at the tender age of twenty, he received his baptism of fire when he helped Dr. Jerry Bails, professor of natural science at Wayne State University in Detroit, midwife the birth of the first superhero comics fanzine, Alter Ego.

... During those halcyon days he continued his carrer asa high school English teacher, all the while batting out letters of unsolicited comment to the editors of virtually every major comics house. Captured by Marvel's Distinguished Competitors, he swiftly escaped and made his way northwest to the hallowed halls of Marvel itself. At this time he was about 24.

... Green to comic-books and largely eclectic by nature, he found a congenial life as Stan Lee's assistant editor and as scripter of The Avengers, Dr. Strange, The Incredible Hulk, and other ecotic endeavors.

... It was he, more than any other person, who was responsible for bringing the genre called sword-and-sorcery into comic-books, which had previously rejected it as if it were a mildewed skin-graft.

An Informal History of Barry the Barbarian

Excerpted from...

... Barry (Winston) Smith was born on May 25, 1949 in Forest Gate, London, England.

... Formal art training consisted of three years of art school at the secondary (technical) level. Taught "academic drawing" at the age of nineteen, but "found it a drag" since he was already quite stylized. Informal art training is attributed to Marvel Comics, particularly the work of Jack Kirby (circa 1961-1966). Other artistic influences include: the pre-Raphaelite painters (Rosetti, Hunt, and Mallais), the work of Harold R. Foster ("Prince Valiant" and "Tarzan"), and Alponse Mucha (Salvic exponent of so-called "art Nouveau").

... Other major influences are rock music in general, and the Beatles in particular: "It was the Beatles that made me decide to get out of London's East End, to just get up and go, and see what happened."

... Barry entered the comics feild by sending a sample "Inhuman" story to Stan Lee, and was encouraged by the nature of the response.

Something along the lines of: "Not bad kid. Drop by and see us sometime when you're in the neighborhood."

Which prompted him to show up on Marvel's doorstep two months later, fresh off a tramp steamer or some such colorful thing.

... First comics work was an X-Men story, which he feels otherwise best forgotten, and which he drew on park benches and street corners during his first weeks in Fun City. Later comics work include Daredevil, The Avengers, Dr. Strange, various mystery stories - and, of course, Conan.

... Other non-comic-book work includes Esquire, New York Magazine, Newsday, National Lampoon, Second Illustrated Beatle Songbook, covers of forth coming Kung Fu paperbacks, and various rock albums.

Awards to date (February 1974):

Academy of Comic Book Arts

Best New Talent, 1970

Nominated Best Artist, Dramatic Division, 1971, 1972

Comic Fan Awards

Favorite Comic-Book Artist, 1972

... Barry's chief interest, aside from art, is the electic guitar, which he played onstage at Marvel's Carnegie Hall show, Jauary 4 1971. His future plans are to become, in between comic-art work, a serious rock musician and a world-famous name during 1974.