Conan the Adventurer (1992 TV series)

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Conan the Adventurer
Conan the Adventurer (1992 TV series) logo.png
Genre Action-adventure
Sword and sorcery
Fantasy
Created byRay DeLaurentis
Based on Conan the Barbarian
by Robert E. Howard
Developed by Christy Marx
Voices of Michael Donovan
Scott McNeil
Janyse Jaud
Garry Chalk
Richard Newman
Doug Parker
John Pyper-Ferguson
Lee Tockar
ComposersThomas Chase Jones
Steve Rucker
Country of originUnited States
Canada [1]
France
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes65 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersTom Griffin
Joe Bacall
C.J. Kettler
Jean Chalopin
Running time22 minutes
Production companies Sunbow Productions
Graz Entertainment (season 1)
Créativité et Développement (season 2)
AB Productions (season 2)
Original release
Network Syndication (United States)
M6 (France)
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1992 (1992-09-13) 
November 23, 1993 (1993-11-23)

Conan the Adventurer is an animated television series adaptation of Conan the Barbarian, the literary character created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. [2] Produced by Jetlag Productions in association with Sunbow Productions, the series debuted on September 13, 1992, ran for 65 episodes and concluded on November 22, 1993. The series was developed by Christy Marx who served as the sole story editor. [3] The series was produced in association with Graz Entertainment for the first 13-episode season; AB Productions and Jean Chalopin's Créativité et Développement for the remaining episodes. The series also spawned a small toyline in 1992 created by Hasbro. This first incarnation of Conan in cartoon form performed much better than its follow-up cartoon, Conan and the Young Warriors , which lasted only 13 episodes.

Contents

Plot

Conan lived in Cimmeria with his parents throughout his childhood. While out with his grandfather one night on a trek, "fiery tears" or meteors dropped from the skies. Conan collected them and brought them back to his family. Conan's father, the village blacksmith, used the ore from the meteors to forge Star Metal and used it to create various tools and weapons that would never rust or break or dull. He sold them, but his finest work, a magnificent sword, he kept for Conan. It was laid in a crypt and covered over with a heavy stone slab. Conan's father told his son that only when he was "man enough" (i.e., strong enough) to push off the stone slab, could he rightfully claim the sword.

Meanwhile, the evil Serpent Man wizard Wrath-Amon learned of Star Metal and that in addition to its strength that it possessed the power to open portals between dimensions. He thus sought Star Metal to release his deity Set from "the Abyss" to which he long ago had been banished by the combined powers of virtually every living wizard then on Earth for trying to enslave the human race. As part of his search, Wrath-Amon sought out Conan's family. Conan's father told Wrath-Amon that he had sold all of the Star Metal, but the wizard refused to believe it. The wizard was right for aside from the sword, it was revealed in a later episode that Conan's father had hidden pieces of Star Metal with other villagers. Wrath-Amon used the spell of living stone upon Conan's family.

Conan by then had gone to claim his Star Metal sword to attack Wrath-Amon and his followers. When the Star Metal sword got near Wrath-Amon, it disrupted his magic and showed his reptilian face. To this, he said "Those who see the true face of Wrath-Amon must perish!" (this scene is similar to one in the film). Having chased away the wizard, Conan then turned to his family and swore in the name of their god Crom to find a way of releasing them from the spell.

Conan's adventures thus begin as he searches Hyboria looking for a way to cure his family and free the land from Wrath-Amon's rule. Wrath-Amon's henchmen are also shapeshifting Serpent Men. When Conan's Star Metal sword is close enough to them, it broke the spell that disguised them and revealed their true form to be Serpent Men. When Star Metal made contact with the Serpent Men, it banishes them to the Abyss with Set. Spies and agents of Set and Stygia, many of them also Serpent Men, were present in many cities, nations and tribes throughout the land in the age of Conan.

As compared with the original Conan stories and the Marvel Comics such as King Conan, Conan Saga, Conan the Barbarian and Conan the King, the cartoon Conan displays a higher degree of modern morality. While the original Conan is a thief, a killer, and a philanderer, the cartoon Conan has more in common with sword-wielding children's cartoon characters such as He-Man. At one point, he refuses to join a pirate crew on the grounds that it is wrong to steal, he refuses to strike unarmed or defeated opponents. He is a kind and caring character, albeit a little naive, who stands up for his friends and what he sees to be right and is very respectable. The show also reduced the violence of the original to levels deemed suitable for the younger target audience, deliberately making the Serpent Men "banished" with any touch of the heroes' weapons rather than actually struck.

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 1313 September 1992 (1992-09-13)6 December 1992 (1992-12-06)
2 5213 September 1993 (1993-09-13)23 November 1993 (1993-11-23)

Characters

Heroes

Supporting

Villains

The Snake Cult

The Snake Cult is an evil religion that worships Set and lures away victims, even rulers who fear the wrath of Wrath-Amon. Wrath-Amon preaches the wicked religion of Set and so did the sorcerer Ram-Amon before him. While some of its members are human, current or former, the Snake Cult's primary members are the reptilian Serpent Men. While able to assume human form, the Serpent Men share their god Set's weakness for Star Metal and would end up in the Abyss if exposed to anything made of Star Metal.

  • Set (voiced by Richard Newman) is a huge snake-like deity of the Stygians and the main antagonist of the animated series, he is imprisoned in the Abyss, from which he commands the serpent-men through his regent, Wrath-Amon. Set was banished by magicians many thousands of years ago and longs to return to the world to enslave all of humanity. To do this, he requires several pyramids with rings of star metal, for which his minions hunt relentlessly. The most dangerous of Conan's enemies, Set possesses incomparable strength and great hypnotic power. Once he managed to hypnotize Conan, and only Needle's intervention prevented the death of the hero. At the end of the series, Conan and his friends imprison him again in the Abyss (this time, it is said, "forever").
  • Wrath-Amon (voiced by Scott McNeil) is the evil sorcerer who currently leads the Snake Cult as its high priest and is the personal enemy of Conan. He was originally a large gila monster but was transformed into a Serpent Man-like creature by his master, Ram-Amon. He then overthrew his master by taking the Black Ring from him. His mission now is to free his god, Set, with the help of the Star Metal. Conan's grandfather states that Wrath-Amon's evil is legendary and that he is feared by kings. Wrath-Amon himself fears only Set, his deity. Wrath-Amon led the attack on Conan's village, in which he turned Conan's parents into living stone, rather than killing them, as in the original Conan line. Like Thoth-Amon in that original line, he is powerless without his black ring (whose destruction in this series would cause the spell of living stone on Conan's family to be undone). In the series finale, Wrath-Amon is empowered by Set, greatly increasing in size, but Conan manages to return him to his original gila monster form with the power of the Amulet of Vathelos.
    • Dregs (voiced by Doug Parker) is Wrath-Amon's sneaky Nāga assistant with a hood like a cobra and a rattle like a rattlesnake. He could be considered Needle's nemesis as he frequently tries to catch and eat the phoenix. He once became Dregs-Amon when Wrath-Amon was going to undergo hibernation. He quickly changed his loyalties when Ram-Amon is freed by Conan, then Wrath-Amon was defeated, and served under Ram-Amon. He was crushed by a large statue in the final episode, but it is not revealed if he survived or not.
  • Skulkur (voiced by Scott McNeil in his first appearance, Doug Parker for the rest of the series) is one of Wrath-Amon's henchmen. A powerful undead who can raise skeletons as warriors and star metal would break the spell that animated them. He was once Sakumbe (voiced by Blu Mankuma), a human member of another Snake Cult branch in Africa where Set is worshipped as Damballah (it is assumed that they are cannibalistic as well). Sakumbe helped a man seize the power of the high priest in return for a promise of power, but the new high priest betrayed him. He then swore himself into Wrath-Amon's service, who empowered him with the Black Ring. When he tried to take his revenge, the new high priest who had betrayed him tried to transform him into a zombie slave, but his magic and the Black Ring's magic clashed and transformed him back into the skeletal Skulkur. His final fate is unknown.
  • Windfang (voiced by Doug Parker) is a fire-breathing, four-armed winged dragonoid enslaved by Wrath-Amon. Windfang was once a human general named Venturas from Koth who opposed Wrath-Amon 200 years before the events in the series. His king sent him to invade Stygia, but his men fled from Wrath-Amon's evil sorcery. Venturas fought on, but he was captured and mutated by Wrath-Amon. Being a cruel despot, he then released Windfang who flew to his fiancée who screamed and reacted with horror upon seeing him. Realizing he had nothing left to live for upon Wrath-Amon finding him in his eyrie, he agreed to serve Wrath-Amon upon his arrival in exchange for a promise to transform him back into a human at some point in the future (a promise Wrath-Amon certainly never intended to keep). He has an eyrie high in the mountains where he keeps trophies of his long lost past and human self. His eyrie was located close to or within the borders of Kusan (the kingdom of Falkenar) and he raided it often making the two are bitter enemies. He was in love with Jezmine initially because she reminded him of his dead fiancée Lady Mirim, but although she showed him kindness she didn't love him. Windfang also commands other flying reptilian creatures similar to himself. Windfang often sought to find a way to transform back into a human without Wrath-Amon or to force Wrath-Amon to keep his promise, and made it clear he would not continue in Wrath-Amon's service if he could regain his humanity. In one occasion, he succeeds in breaking his curse and regaining his human form. But upon returning to Koth, he realizes that all the things and people he cared about no longer existed, leaving Venturas without a purpose in life. After Wrath-Amon appears and forcefully transforms him into Windfang again upon sacrificing himself, he resigns his fate as the villain's servant. He has twice worked with Yin Doo in plots that revolve around Kusan. His final fate is unknown.
  • Ram-Amon (voiced by Scott McNeil) is Wrath Amon's creator and predecessor, a Stygian sorcerer and apparently of a human-like race. After creating the lizard man who became Wrath Amon, Ram-Ammon is betrayed by his creation after he lost the black ring. After at least 200 years of imprisonment (as Wrath-Amon was shown to be the leader when Windfang as Venturas invaded Stygia 200 years ago), he was released by Conan as he knew the knowledge of the Black Ring. He later replaced Wrath-Amon in aiding Set after his defeat by Conan, and escaped following the defeat of Set.

Other villains

  • Mesmira (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is a Stygian witch who acts as an adversary, and sometimes an unreliable ally of the protagonists. Secretly dreams of overthrowing Rath-Amon to become the forever young queen of Stygia. Not indifferent to Conan and Zula; unable to seduce them, she tries to subdue the barbarian and king with the help of hypnosis and make them her personal slaves. Her fascination with Conan and Zula is particularly disliked by Jasmine, in part due to her own love for Conan and her friendship with Zula. The second implacable enemy of Mesmira is Greywulf, whose brother and sister were turned into wolves by a sorceress. The protagonists do not trust the insidious Mesmira, but she more than once manages to set them conditions that they cannot refuse. At the end of the series, Mesmira wins the remains of the Black Ring.
  • Gora (voiced by Garry Chalk) is Zula's cousin. Hoping to overthrow the Vassai king, he secretly serves Rath-Amon and intrigues the protagonists. Witch. He has the same muscular build as Conan and Zula. Unlike Zula, Horu does not possess hypnosis, but uses black magic, in particular, Voodoo magic. Using dolls, Voodoo tried to kill Conan and Zulu, but the intervention of Conan and Amra's lion did not allow him to do so. Gora is finally imprisoned.
  • Yin Doo (voiced by Scott McNeil) is a warlord who was exiled from Kusan for his evil deeds. He often teams up with Windfang in his various plots. His final fate is unknown.

References to deities

There are references to other beings (mostly deities) most of which who are never seen in the series.

Nations, tribes, and groups

Home releases

Region 2

In 2000, home video distributor Maverick announced they had acquired the British home video rights to Sony Wonder's catalogue in the United Kingdom. [5] The company released single VHS volume of the series in October 2000 containing the first two episodes of Series 1 - "The Night of Fiery Tears" and "Blood Brother". [6]

In August 2004, Maximum Entertainment (Under license from Jetix Europe) released a single DVD containing four random episodes from the first season. In 2008, they released the entirety of Season 1 in a two-disc set with all the episodes uncut and in their original story order.

Force Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Australia in Region 4 format in a series of 16 single-disc DVD volumes, with four episodes per disc, excluding episode 27 (A Needle in a Haystack) which is thankfully featured on the Region 1 Season 2 Part 2 DVD Release.

Region 1

At least two VHS releases of the series were released in Canada by Malofilm.

In 2011, Shout! Factory began releasing the series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. To date, they have released season 1 as well as the first half of season 2 on DVD. [7] [8] [9]

DVD nameEp #Release date
Season One13July 26, 2011
Season Two: Part 113November 22, 2011
Season Two: Part 213April 17, 2012
Season Two: Part 313TBA
Season Two: Part 413TBA

Reception

The animated version was popular with fans and audiences alike, and also praised for staying largely true to Robert E. Howard's material, and was one of the most popular sword and sorcery cartoons alongside He-Man and Dungeons & Dragons .[ citation needed ] However, it did receive some criticism, for being more suitable to younger audience, removing the adult content and toning down the violence. According to The A.V. Club, this cartoon, like the other two Conan television series, "has been significantly defanged, dumbing down and infantilizing the character to the degree that he's robbed of his savage appeal". [10]

See also

References

  1. "Conan the Adventurer (1992) -MUBI".
  2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 134. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  3. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 211–212. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  4. Conan, the barbarian'', Vol.1 #84.
  5. "News in Brief - Maverick to carry Sony Wonder catalog in the U.K."
  6. "Conan the Adventurer". Amazon UK. 2000.
  7. "Conan: The Adventurer DVD news: Announcement for Conan: The Adventurer – Season 1". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  8. "Conan: The Adventurer DVD news: Press Release for Conan: The Adventurer – Season 2, Part 1". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  9. "Conan: The Adventurer DVD news: Press Release for Conan: The Adventurer – Season 2, Part 2". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  10. The Conan mythos | Film | Gateways To Geekery | The A.V. Club