“Konar the Barbarian” appeared in Feature Funnies #15-18 (December 1938 to March 1939), only two-three years after Robert E. Howard’s death. Did Robert M. Hyatt know of the Cimmerian from Texas? Is Konar simply Konan with a letter change? Is it even a Sword & Sorcery tale? You decide. Edward Cronin, the comics’ editor, did the illustrations.
Konar the Barbarian goes to Sybaris to rescue his father King Petrak….
Konar the Barbarian joins Kalvah and the Noble Cult….
Konar the Barbarian fights in the Great Games and in the Pit of Serpents….
Konar the Barbarian and Lord Kalvah lead their army to victory!
So how much Robert E. Howard do we find here? The setting of Sybaris and the Ancient World seems based more on old Greek plays than REH. The tale of capture and rescue with glorious fighting feels more like Tros of Samothrace than The Hour of the Dragon. The lack of supernatural creatures or evil sorcerers makes it less of a S&S tale though the presence of giant snakes is quite Howardian. Ultimately, I don’t think Hyatt knew much of Conan. This is long before the 1950s reprints, the 1960s Lancer editions. Sword & Sorcery was still appearing in Weird Tales with stories by Clifford Ball and Henry Kuttner as well as Howard’s posthumous, Almuric.
Robert M. Hyatt may have been a fan of the same stories Howard had enjoyed. That may have been their only connections, though a “Robert M. Hyatt” was the author of “Antidote” in Marvel Tales, July-August 1934). He is credited with over 50 stories in Feature Funnies and other comics, which makes me think the by-line is a house name. Sadly, there is so little evidence left to us to know.
This story is in the public domain. You can read it for free at DCM.
