It is claimed that a Turkish actor was inspired by the face of Conan the Barbarian, one of the most well-known comic book characters in the world.
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the character Conan the Barbarian. Conan comics, which have been adapted into movies and games many times, started to be published in 1932 and were read by different generations for years. Of course, the appearance of the character has changed many times with each artist. It is stated that in the comics of Conan the Barbarian, written by one of these illustrators, he was inspired by a Turkish actor.
Inspired by the Turkish actor for the character of Conan the Barbarian
Canadian cartoonist Den Beauvais, who is known for his work in Dungeons and Dragons board games and Dark Horse Comic company, made an interesting claim. He stated that the iconic drawings of Rob De La Torre, who drew the character of Conan the Barbarian, were inspired by the green pine actor Yavuz Selekman for the facial expression of the character.
Beauvais made the following statements in his statement; “I learned something quite impressive from an article by Rob De La Torre, who I think is the best Conan illustrator of our time since the great John Buscema. It seems that the classic Conan face was inspired by Turkish actor Yavuz Selekman.
So I did a Google search and saved a few reference images in case I draw my version of Conan someday… I’ll definitely refer to Yavuz Selekman’s looks and Rob De La Torre’s work for inspiration. Thanks Rob!”