Adapting Howard
In Dark Horse's revival of Conan, the first story (following two issues written by Kurt Busiek) actually adapted from a Robert E. Howard story, is The Frost Giant's Daughter. This is a clear indication that this version of Conan is as much influenced by the Roy Thomas & Barry Windsor-Smith Marvel Comics version of the hero as by Howard's. The Frost Giant's Daughter, while certainly early in the barbarian's career, is by few accounts the first Conan story. Even if we disregard the barbarian's adventures as chronicled by other writers, and even posthumous collaborations from Howard's notes or unfinished works, according to Howard archivist L. Sprague DeCamp, there are several Howard Conan stories that take place before this. Nor is The Frost Giant's Daughter even in the first book of collected Conan stories published by Ace/Lancer. However, the story is the first one adapted to comic form in English in Savage Tales #1.
There's a lot to love about this issue. First, unlike Savage Tales, which featured an imitation Frank Frazetta type cover by John Buscema, we get a gorgeous illustration of the Frost Giant's daughter herself, by Joseph Michael Linsner - could there be a more perfect artist for the strawberry blonde ingenue-vixen? And while the Thomas/Smith version is a great workman adaptation, well constructed and worthy of praise - of all the Howard stories, The Frost Giant's Daughter is the one that most reads like actual Norse mythology, and Busiek and Nord really capture that flavor here.
Furthermore, this version (unlike the Savage Tales one) is rendered in beautiful color (by Dave Stewart). This is not insignificant, since this story often makes references to colors (the beards of the warring tribes, the red drifts of blood-stained snow, the elfin gold color of the woman's hair, the desolate hoarfrost, and the dazzling Aurora Borealis to name a few) and no black and white comic adaptation could ever truly do it justice.
Changes from the original text are very minor, and all serve to enhance the story rather than detract. This may just be the most definitive version of Conan ever produced - perhaps even in some ways exceeding the original prose version. Kudos to all involved!
