Even though Arnold's attempt to become governor of California has sidelined, if not derailed the long awaited Conan the King movie, Robert E. Howard's sword-wielding Cimmerian has been undergoing something of a renaissance lately (see 'Dark Horse Kicks Off Conan Series').  In addition to comics, busts, and RPGs, Robert E. Howard's hero is also featured in Del Rey's The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian, which ships to retailers in early December with a cover by veteran comic artist Mark Schultz (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs).

Schultz also provided the interior illustrations for this 465-page collection of wonderful, original Conan stories.  In terms of content the Del Rey edition is virtually identical to the original Wandering Star limited edition hardcover, which had a retail price of $195.  The Del Rey edition lacks sepia end papers, features the Schultz cover instead of the Frazetta cover on the Wandering Star volume and the interior illustrations will be in black-and-white instead of color, but otherwise it is identical to the Wandering Star edition, save for the much lower cover price of $14.95.  The very affordable Del Rey edition of The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian is not to be missed.