Robert E. Howard

Robert Ervin Howard was born on January 22, 1906, in Texas, and spent the formative years of his life in Cross Plains, with some time in nearby Brownwood. He died by suicide on June 11, 1936, at just thirty years old, upon learning that his mother was dying.

A bookish child with a passion for adventure fiction, Howard set his sights on becoming a writer as early as age nine, though genuine success didn't arrive until he was twenty-three. Once established, he published prolifically across magazines, journals, and newspapers, working fluently across multiple pulp genres. His primary showcase was *Weird Tales*, where he introduced Conan the Barbarian — the fierce Cimmerian warrior who would define his legacy. Through Conan and his other larger-than-life protagonists, Howard effectively shaped what readers and critics now call sword and sorcery, a subgenre blending brutal action with fantasy world-building. He is widely regarded as the father of that form.

Howard never saw his stories collected in book form during his lifetime, and his broader influence only took hold after his death. In comics, his creations have sustained remarkable longevity — his work has been adapted across titles including *Conan the Barbarian*, *The Savage Sword of Conan*, *Conan the Cimmerian*, and *Conan the Avenger*, spanning decades of publication. His best work remains continuously in print, a testament to the enduring grip of the worlds he built in his short life.