I took a look through my SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN issues, where I think Chan did his best work. I was surprised, most of the early issues were inked by Alcala or Nebres, or Buscema himself. Chan pencilled and inked issue 29, and did inks or full art on issues 62, 63, 64, 68, 71, 72, 77, 78, 79, 81, 87, 93, 95, 99, and 100 (roughly 1982-1984). Of those, I liked his inks best in issues 77-79, that latter two issues in particular I liked both the story and art. And with the monsters in those issues, quite Halloween festive.
Beyond that point I think Chan lost whatever artistic merit he had, and was just hacking it out from that point forward. An artist named Gary Kwapisz began doing some outstandingly nice stories in scattered but frequent issues from 96-179 (1984-1990), and unfortunately Chan inked about 20 of the 40 or so stories Kwapisz did. And in those issues Kwapisz's style is completely blunted, all you see is Chan.
I'd say I was most enthusiastic about SSOC from 60-100 in the period I began reading, and Dixon, Kwapsisz and a few others breathed new life into the series in the mid/late 1980's.
Of 235 issues of SSOC, my single favorite issue is the Robert E. Howard adaptation "The Haunting of Castle Crimson" in SSOC 12 (and reprinted in CONAN SAGA 36), adapted by Roy Thomas, with art by Buscema/Alcala.
A haunted castle, the dead rising for revenge, a beautiful slave girl who may or may not be a princess, a king ready to wage war to have her back, peppered with romance, humor, and some clever ironies. Great reading anytime, but also Halloween-atmospheric.
Full story online:
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Conan-Saga/Issue-36?id=96565#3
