Created in 1932

1932 brought the birth of one of pulp fiction's greatest icons: Conan the Cimmerian. This was the year Robert E. Howard’s barbarian strode out of Weird Tales and changed adventure fiction forever. Though only one major character debuted, he casts a shadow big enough for a whole era. This page lists the 1932 creations entering the U.S. public domain in 2028 — and any already there.

Entering the Public Domain in 2028 (Created in 1932)

Conan
Conan the Barbarian, created by Robert E. Howard, debuted in Weird Tales in December 1932. Conan will enter the House of Crom on January 1, 2028.
Image: Frontspiece of Phoenix In The Sword in Weird Tales, by James Milton (Jayem) Wilcox, 1932.

Already in the Public Domain (Created in 1932)

None at this time.

1932: Context & Fun Facts

• Weird Tales was in full creative bloom
  Howard, Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith were all firing on all cylinders — a rare overlap that helped define modern fantasy and horror.
• Conan was a pivot point in Howard's career.
  Tired of the more refined, brooding Kull, Howard reworked unused ideas into a rougher, faster, blood-and-thunder hero. Conan caught on immediately.
• The Great Depression shaped the tone.
  Readers flocked to pulp escapism. Conan’s brutal, survivalist world — where men carved their own fate by the sword — hit exactly the nerve the moment demanded.