Gil Kane - Giant-Size Conan 1 Page 15

A premiere of sorts, this 1974 Giant-Size Numero Uno issue marks (if I'm correct), the first appearance of Conan in full King of Aquilonia mode. This is celebrated in style by the explosive art team of Gil Kane and Tom Sutton!

Both of them need no introduction, given their outstanding pedigree, but their working together was very scarce. Apart from this adaptation of R.E. Howard's "Hour of the Dragon", only a couple issues of Warlock and Werewolf by Night come to mind.

Too bad, methinks, as the combination of Gil Kane's blockbuster pencils and storytelling skills with Tom Sutton's idiosyncratic inks makes for a stunning work of art!

The Fosterian ambiance on this page marks a clear departure from the freebooting adventures of Conan up to this point. Here, older, wiser, but no less dangerous, he looks (and acts) truly majestic, as amply demonstrated by the show-stopping portrait on panel 3.

Yes, the Dragon would come to learn about the price to pay when stumbling into the Lion's lair...