RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Rafael Kayanan art

I mentioned Rafael Kayanan elsewhere as not only a great artist, but because of his work in conceptualization art and martial arts choreography in movies, possibly the richest artist ever to emerge from the comics field. One updated net worth estimate of his fortune is currently $169 million!


But I love his work on SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN (a sequel to Red Nails) and another new Conan series in CONAN THE ADVENTURER 1-14, among other projects. Nice as his HAWKMOON work is, he was still developing as an artist when those were published as four separate 4-issue limited series.

Kayanan also had long series runs in the early/mid 1980's on FIRESTORM and CAPTAIN ATOM for DC, his early breakout work.

I stumbled on this list of his work available to read online:

list of work by Rafael Kayanan


Enjoy.

From the "Island of Misfit comic images" topic:

And:

And:




I should have created a separate topic for Kayanan from the beginning, his work certainly deserves it.

From CONAN THE SAVAGE magazine issue 7, Feb 1996:
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Conan-the-Savage/Issue-7?id=148839#28

A 22-page story, all full-page illustrations, among the nicest art jobs Kayanan did.

If you notice, all the pages form one continuous image. I've been tempted for years to take it to a print shop and make an 11" X 17" copy of each page, so I can look at the complete story and see all the combined images at once.

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Linking the 5-part sequel to "Red Nails" by Kayanan, for your reading pleasure :

In SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN , issues 211-213, 215, and 217 :
211 by Thomas and Kayanan (part 1, of 5) , 29p, July 1993
212 ............part 2, 22p, August 1993
213 ............part 3, 24p, Sept 1993
215 ............part 4, 26p, Nov 1993
217 ............part 5, 20p, Jan 1994



And for comparison's sake, here's the original Roy Thomas and Barry Smith adaptation of the Robert E. Howard "Red Nails" story, as it first appeared in
SAVAGE TALES :
2 .......part 1 of 3, ( 21p), Oct 1973
3, .......part 2 (25p), and part 3 (13p), Feb 1974

Also reprinted in color as
MARVEL TREASURY EDITION
4 .....all 59 pages, June 1975 (plus "Rogues in the House" from CONAN THE BARBARIAN 11, Nov 1971 )

And with different colors, as a Baxter reprint one-shot :
ROBERT E HOWARD'S CONAN THE BARBARIAN (also called CONAN: RED NAILS)
1 ..... all 59 pages, 1983
(plus a "Cimmeria" poem by Robert E Howard , with Smith/Conrad art, from SAVAGE TALES 2, a 5 page story, Oct 1973.
And also reprinted in SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN 24, Nov 1977.
I did a little more looking at the credits, the SAVAGE TALES 2 version is reproduced directly from Windsor-Smith's pencils.
The later version in SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN 24, and in this 1983 reprint edition, are Windsor-Smith's pencils, with inks added by Tim Conrad. )



Kayanan's version is as consistent with Barry Windsor-Smith's "Red Nails" as you could possibly ask for.
Beautiful art, in both the original Windsor-Smith "Red Nails", and in the Kayanan sequel.

CONAN THE ADVENTURER by Kayanan began a few months later, the first issue cover-dated June 1994.
1 (Kayanan art in 1-5, and 9-14, June 1994-July 1995, with Kayanan covers on all 14 issues.)


Along with the above linked story in CONAN THE SAVAGE issue 7, Feb 1996, I think Kayanan's Conan run is among his best work.
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Conan-the-Savage/Issue-7?id=148839#28

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A chronological list of Rafael Kayanan's comics work, from the MikesAmazingWorld website :

http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=942

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A Marvel house ad for the CONAN THE ADVENTURER series:




From SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN 221, May 1994. (also in 222, 223, and 224)

The cover for CONAN THE ADVENTURER issue 8, Jan 1995, by Kayanan.

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CONAN THE ADVENTURER 9 cover by Kayanan.

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CONAN THE ADVENTURER 7 cover, by Kayanan.

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And just for the hell of it, here's Windsor-Smith's cover for CONAN THE BARBARIAN 24, March 1973 (Smith's last issue of the series)







And here also is Smith's cover for the first CONAN ANNUAL in 1973 (too many cover-blurbs, and an oversize image, but I like the colors better in this version)
Here below used again, as the back cover to the above CONAN: RED NAILS Baxter reprint edition in 1983.




Just to make the point of how well Kayanan's work holds up, in comparison to Smith's.
Pretty damn nice, in all cases, by both artists.

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Here's the nicely colored original cover version, with all the cover blurbs cropped out.
Gorgeous work.

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PUNISHER: WAR ZONE 29 cover by Kayanan. Cover logo partly obscured by the action, but still, a beautifully designed and colored cover.

Kayanan did covers on 26-30, April 1994-Aug 1994. Interior 5-part story by Chuck Dixon and John Buscema.
Full issues at :
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/The-Punisher-War-Zone/Issue-29?id=19971