CONAN THE BARBARIAN additions

OK, after gaining more knowledge and insight(many thanks to those responsible ) via the all the scripts and many of the Marvel Comics with their versions of Howard tales and more original stories and characters.. its more than safe to say that Thomas' influence and presence in both Stone's and Milius stories needs more recognition. Plus we need Thomas' script version for added reference if it''ll matter much by this point isnt to important though.

Milius in some interview lessened Roy Thomas' role to just "pointing stuff out on a map for him", this isnt an accurate or fair assessment .

Seems much of Stone's and Milius script is based of Marvel's "Black Colossus" comic book from "Savage Sword of Conan The Barbarian" back in the early 70's, a prime example is (Stones and Milius') famous big battle which doesnt seem very Nevksy-ish like in the end, least completely. Then you start combining it with other Howard and Marvel stories like "The Devourer of the Dead", "Witch Shall Be Born" and such, your pretty much getting Oliver Stone and John Milius rewriting Marvel or piecing them together with bits from elsewhere in Lancer's Howard Library.

Milius' 1st script battle is a near duplicate of version of the Battle of the Sharma(sp?) Pass against Thugra Khotan, right down to some of the descriptions of the characters and battle and weapons. For instance, I see the visored helmet on Conan which was to have been worn in the 1st Draft(although in Nevsky he wore a similar helmet but without the wings) and big battle and the scene with blood dripping down his face, the strange fog before the battle, the serpent staff/spear shit, Khotan's war chariot, Khotan being the hooded terror. Shevastas the thief was changed/shortened to Sheevas in Stone's draft and him battling the giant Snake in the chamber was clearly used CTB, but changed to Conan fighting the creature--hell it dies similarly too a sword through the skull. Heck in one passage Thomas has Conan throw his sword like a spear into the evil wizard like outve CTD--however I seen Steve Reeves do the same thing in one the old Italian made Sword and Sandal filma("The Giant of Marathon" I think it was).

Not sure how much of pure unabridged Howard was ever used, seems most inspiration and plot devices and lines came from DeCamp LANCER and Thomas MARVEL by Stone and Milius . So we'll probably need a hardcore Howard fan to get all the differences and add-on's deciphered and separated from version to version.

*Turd:

In the 1st Draft Milius was using historical Spartan lines like "Arrows blotting out the sun" and Conan saying, "So we'll fight in the shade." Conan was to be wearing a Winged-helmet at the battle of the pass/crossroads to civilization where he confronts Thulsa Doom's army of the apocalypse. thus making him more Perseus and Mercury for sure. Mercury was the god and protector of the roads and wore the winged helmet as did Perseus. So all the historical Greco-Roman stuff we chatted about was surely cooped up in Milius'(Stone's too) mind and Marvel loved using Greek and Norse Mythology to create their own(as did R.E. Howard for that matter).