Robert E. Howard’s life and legacy inspire the comics series ‘Helen of Wyndhorn’
In the Dark Horse Comics series Helen of Wyndhorn, the teenage daughter of the recently deceased pulp writer C. K. Cole comes to live at Wyndhorn, her grandfather’s estate. Both Helen and Barnabas Cole process their grief over C. K.’s passing, while Helen and her governess discover that Wyndhorn and Barnabas are more fantastical than they seem. Written by Tom King, with art by Bilquis Evely (along with colorist Matheus Lopes and letterer Clayton Cowles), the comic offers a poignant fantasy story that seems inspired by the life and literary legacy of real-world author Robert E. Howard.
The story of Helen’s time at Wyndhorn is presented from the perspective of Helen’s governess, Lilith Appleton; circa 1985, Lilith is interviewed by author Thomas Rogers, who is writing a book about Cole. Lilith recounts first meeting Helen in Texas in 1935 (when she was hired by Barnabas to retrieve his granddaughter) and their subsequent stay at Wyndhorn.
The details Lilith provides in the comic’s first two issues highlight a distraught family. Helen drinks and smokes heavily; she is uneasy about Wyndhorn and distressed over her father’s death. Barnabas is an imposing, mysterious figure, initially absent from Wyndhorn and then emotionally distant from Helen upon his return; he also mourns his dead son.
Helen and Lilith see strange creatures at Wyndhorn that Helen recognizes from her father’s fantasy tales. The mystery of these creatures prompts Helen’s gradual interactions with her knowledgeable grandfather, and also strengthens Helen’s interest in her father’s fiction.
Given the comic’s fantasy elements, it is fitting that the artwork is so enchanting; Evely’s renderings of poignant character moments amid spectacular settings cast a pleasurable spell on readers, compelling their attention, while Lopes utilizes a lush palette that complements Evely’s detailed illustrations. Cowles uses a distinctive cursive script for the comic’s captions that is stylistically appropriate for Lilith’s narration.
Fantasy elements aside, Helen of Wyndhorn offers a relatable tale of two separate generations struggling to process their grief, as the deceased’s father and daughter come to know one another and bond over their loss. But the story also explores the literary legacy of a pulp writer, and while Cole is fictional, he is an obvious analogue for Howard.
Although Howard wrote hundreds of stories in various genres, he is largely remembered for developing the “sword and sorcery” fantasy subgenre (primarily via stories featuring his most celebrated character, Conan the Barbarian). Similarly, Cole is best known for his barbarian character Othan.
Cole’s death in Texas is another allusion to Howard. Howard was born and raised in Texas; he crafted his fiction in the town of Cross Plains. The fantasy pulp magazine Weird Tales published Howard’s first story in 1924; along with the horror fiction of his contemporary H. P. Lovecraft, Howard’s work would contribute to the “golden age” of the magazine’s content. Weird Tales published Howard’s first Conan story in 1932.
Both Cole and Howard lived tragically short lives. Howard’s life spanned the years 1906 to 1936; readers learn that Cole lived from 1900 to 1935. While the circumstances of Cole’s death have yet to be detailed in the narrative, the events leading to Howard’s suicide are well known.
Devoted to his ailing mother, when Howard learned that she had slipped into a coma and was expected not to recover, Howard retrieved a pistol from his car and shot himself. Howard’s suicide — along with contemporary societal attitudes regarding his mental health and relationship with his mother — would shape subsequent critical consideration of Howard’s fiction.
In the comic, Helen is convinced of her father’s literary greatness; she commissions a tombstone that proclaims C. K. to have been “Better Than Shakespeare,” and believes her father “…was the greatest writer of his generation.” Lilith does not share this assessment; when asked by Rogers whether she had read any of C. K.’s stories before meeting Helen, she answers that she had not, as C. K.’s fiction “…was not sensible reading for someone of my station,” dismissing his pulp tales as “all trash.”
Likewise, Howard’s fiction has struggled to achieve critical appreciation. While there are plentiful academic studies regarding the literary impact of his fellow Weird Tales contributor Lovecraft, there is a comparative dearth of critical focus on Howard’s stories. A notable exception is Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard, in which author Mark Finn examines Howard’s literary output in the context of the writer’s life and Texas upbringing.
Finn observes that Howard’s tragic death has shaped consideration of his work; as an example, in the 1945 New York Times Book Review critique of the Howard short story collection Skull-Face and Others, titled “Superman on a Psychotic Bender,” writer H. R. Hayes cites Howard’s lifestyle and mental health among the reasons for dismissing the author’s work as trivial:
Living in the never-never land of Conan and King Kull, he slaughtered enemies by the dozen. He was fearless, inscrutable, desired by all women. Single-handed he toppled rulers from their thrones and built empires of oriental splendor. Even the menace of the supernatural was vanquished by magic that he alone was able to control. In the real world, however, he had no resources. When he was faced with the loss of maternal protection he took the way of self-destruction.
Thus the hero-literature of the pulps and comics is symptomatic of a profound contradiction. On the one hand it is testimony to insecurity and apprehension, and on the other it is a degraded echo of the epic. But the ancient hero story was a glorification of significant elements in the culture that produced it. Mr. Howard’s heroes project the immature fantasy of a split mind and logically pave the way to schizophrenia.
Yet despite a lack of academic interest and critical praise, Howard’s work endures, with modern adaptations in both film and comics, translations in various languages, and a supportive fandom; Howard’s stories and characters continue to inspire the fantasy genre. With its allusions to Howard, Helen of Wyndhorn is both an emotionally engaging fantasy story and a well-crafted fictional celebration of Howard’s life and legacy.
NOTES AND FURTHER READING:
Helen of Wyndhorn #1 (Tom King, Bilquis Evely, et al.; Dark Horse Comics, March 2024)
Helen of Wyndhorn #2 (Tom King, Bilquis Evely, et al.; Dark Horse Comics, April 2024)
Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard (Mark Finn; MonkeyBrain Books, 2006)
“Early Critics of Robert E. Howard” (Gary Romeo; spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com, August 22, 2021)
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POST-CREDITS SCENE:
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