
WINGED APE (1934)

SOURCE: "The Queen of the Black Coast" (Weird Tales, May 1934)
DESCRIPTION: "...With fearful speed it was rushing upon him, and in that instant Conan had only a confused impression of a gigantic manlike shape hurtling along on bowed and stunted legs; of huge hairy arms outstretching misshapen black-nailed paws; of a malformed head, in whose broad face the only features recognizable as such were a pair of blood-red eyes. It was a thing neither man, beast, nor devil, imbued with characteristics subhuman as well as characteristics superhuman."("The Queen of the Black Coast" by Robert E. Howard)
NOTES: The winged ape was once a winged man-like creature. His race lived in the world before humans evolved but because of drinking the poisonous waters of the Zarkheba River they devolved into evil creatures. This one survivor dwells in the ruined city, served by were-hyenas created by its own dark magic.

HISTORY: The winged ape sounds similar, perhaps a devolved member of, the same race of winged men in "The Garden of Fear". Howard probably based his monster on Heu heu, the H. Rider Haggard monster. In the Weird Tales cover Margaret Brundridge made the creature less ape-like. (Above)
John Buscema & Ernie Chan's version for Conan the Barbarian #100