ROY THOMAS joined Marvel as a writer and editor under Stan Lee, scripting key runs of nearly every Marvel title: The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, The Sub-Mariner, Thor, The X-Men and more. He wrote the first ten years of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan; and launched the Defenders, Iron Fist, The Invaders and Warlock. At DC, he developed All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc. and related titles, proving instrumental in reviving the Golden Age Justice Society of America. He co-scripted the sword-and-sorcery films Fire and Ice and Conan the Destroyer. Throughout it all, Thomas has edited the award-winning magazine Alter Ego, contributing heartily to the research and history of the medium.
LARRY YAKATA is a multi-time world and national judo champion and a former coach of the United States Olympic judo team. He received a masters in English Literature from Columbia University and has written for publications including the New York Times and The Savage Sword of Conan.
DON KRAAR broke into comics as a writer in the early 1970s with short stories for DC’s anthology titles. He became one of the mainstays of Marvel’s Conan comics line in the ’80s with work on The Savage Sword of Conan, two Conan graphic novels and an extended run on Conan the King that saw the character expand his empire.
GARY KWAPISZ became one of the defining Conan artist of the 1980s. He is also responsible for two, self-published Civil War graphic novels called, interestingly enough, Civil War Adventures. These books bring history to life, telling the story of America’s most terrible war. They are a loving collaboration with his old Conan partner, Chuck Dixon. Not letting his Civil War research go to waste, Kwapisz wrote and illustrated Rebel Dead Revenge starring a reanimated Stonewall Jackson, the Devil and an army of zombie Confederate soldiers.
ERNIE CHAN (1940-2012) immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines at the age of 30 and wasted no time breaking into the American comic book scene. He would ink the work of John Buscema on Conan the Barbarian for the better part of fourteen years and also illustrated Kull the Destroyer and many other titles for Marvel.
For over a decade, Scotsman MICHAEL DOCHERTY (1955-2016) was one of the most prolific artists in the Conan Universe, with credits penciling Conan the Barbarian, Conan the King and Savage Sword of Conan. He also illustrated the Conan graphic novels The Horn of Azoth and The Ravagers Out of Time. After penciling three issues of Conan the Savage in 1995, Docherty left Marvel for animation, where he worked as a storyboard artist on The Incredible Hulk, Godzilla: The Series and Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys.