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Bronze Age Marvel Comic Book: Conan the Barbarian King-Size Special #1 (1973)

By: Marvel Comics; cover art by Barry Windsor-Smith; stories by Roy Thomas (with Barry Windsor-Smith art inside on the reprints)

Style: Bronze Age American comic book; sword‑and‑sorcery/adventure (Marvel Comics)

Origin: United States

Materials: Color offset ink on newsprint; staple binding

Age: 1973 (Bronze Age)

Condition: Very Good/Fine (5.0–7.0) – light spine ticks and minor edge/corner wear; back cover and interior not shown; appears to be a raw, ungraded copy

Value: $25–$60 (auction, raw mid-grade). High-grade slabbed examples can realize more ($150–$275 in CGC 9.4–9.6), but this copy appears unslabbed and mid-grade.

Maker's Marks / Writing: Cover text includes: “Marvel Comics Group,” “Special Issue!,” “CONAN THE BARBARIAN,” “King-Size,” price 35¢, CCA seal, red burst: “Special Academy Award Issue! Two of the greatest Conan sagas ever told!” Corner box: “Conan King-Size 1, 1973, 02903.” Signature “Barry Smith.”

Date: 2025-10-31 16:12:13.482734

Description:

Oversized Marvel 'King-Size Special' featuring Conan the Barbarian. Cover shows Conan amid a battlefield stream; red burst reads “Special Academy Award Issue! Two of the greatest Conan sagas ever told!” Price 35¢, Comics Code Authority seal. Corner box: “Conan King-Size 1, 1973, 02903.” Cover art signed “Barry Smith” (Barry Windsor-Smith). Contents are a reprint selection from the early Roy Thomas/Barry Windsor-Smith Conan run (commonly issues #1 and #4). Staple-bound, color newsprint.

Curator Questions

Curated by Jade

Assessment:

This appears to be Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian King-Size Special #1 (1973), an oversized reprint special from the early, highly collected Roy Thomas/Barry Windsor-Smith run. The copy shown looks generally bright with some spine/edge wear and minor corner blunting; no back cover or interior photos are provided, so grade is estimated conservatively. A word about fakes.. Modern reprints and facsimiles do exist, and undisclosed restoration occurs; verify via the inside indicia (should state 1973), original 35¢ pricing, and period-appropriate newsprint/ads. If authentic and unrestored, this is a desirable Bronze Age Conan item with solid but not key-level value. {chavatar_catchphrase}

Individual Images:

• none

Provenance:

No provenance provided (not slabbed, no receipts or prior grading shown)

Condition:

Very Good/Fine (5.0–7.0) – light spine ticks and minor edge/corner wear; back cover and interior not shown; appears to be a raw, ungraded copy

Identification Score: 98%

Distinct cover layout and text (“King-Size Special,” 35¢, 1973 corner box code 02903), Barry Smith signature, and well-known artwork match Conan the Barbarian King-Size Special #1.

Authenticity Score: 70%

Single front-cover image only; details align with a 1973 original (price, CCA seal, Barry Smith signature), but no indicia/back/inner pages to rule out later reprints or restoration.

Image Memory Note

None     None

Keywords

Conan the Barbarian; King-Size Special #1; Marvel Comics; Bronze Age comic; Barry Windsor-Smith; Roy Thomas; 1973; sword and sorcery; United States; annual

Report ID:  : h5rn4q

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