Back in my comic book heyday (here we go again, I hear the cry) I had my Marvel favourites and these still endure. Thor, Cap, Spidey, Thing, Hulk, Daredevil etc etc.

There was a character who defied a lot of the traditional comic book conventions. Conan. He  was a Cimmerian – an ancient warrior type with barbarous tendencies and enormous muscles and axes. At this point it’s a good idea to overlook John Milius’ movie starring Arnie as it stunk the movie theatres out with it’s ludicrous acting and just about appalling everything else.

An-y-way…this post is in honour of Frank Frazetta and he was the sword and sorcery artist who brought Conan to life among many others including Krull of Atlantis and Buck Rogers. His was a more painterly style that usually included generously bosomed women and superbly ripped action heroes sat atop piles of bodies.

In the seventies and eighties these images were de rigeur and spilled over in to record sleeves and influenced countless movie production sets. Frazetta’s is a classic fantasy art style that has genuinely stood the test of time but in a strange way remains of its time – it evokes the ancient world and a less sterile sci fi universe where it’s less about the technology and more about people.