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Back in June we showed you the first official studio photo from the Marcus Nispel-directed CONAN reboot starring Jason Momoa as Robert E. Howard’s legendary warrior. Now there’s a few more official shots being released, giving us some shots of Momoa in action this time around. The reactions to these images have been mixed, with many jumping toward hate. But here’s what I see… just bear with me… after recently re-watching the fantastic Frank Frazetta documentary PAINTING WITH FIRE, there’s some definite similarities between Frazetta’s quintessential CONAN paintings and the look of this new project. I never thought I’d say this, but Momoa actually looks a lot like Frank’s vision of the sword-wielding hero. The shot above is fairly manufactured and magazine ad-ish, but the action shot below… that’s very Frazetta. For those not aware, Frazetta (who just recently passed away) was regarded by many to be the first to really define a universally appreciated look for Howard’s most popular character. Frank’s covers are what sold millions of copies of those CONAN books, and even CONAN THE BARBARIAN director John Milius made a concerted effort to emulate the look of Frazetta in his now-classic film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new movie co-stars Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols (my future wife), Rose McGowan, and Leo Howard (as Young Conan, no relation to Robert E. Howard… but wouldn’t that be cool?).
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Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
