Having read quite a lot of Bob Howard's work, he's definitely somebody who came to understand his own prejudices and the negative aspects of the work he was producing. Had he not taken his own life, I suspect this trend would have continued. Also, the Conan canon is very clear on its thesis that civilization and barbarism are cycles that every ethnicity experiences, and that they often exist simultaneously within cultures.

See also: Conan works with people of other races almost as often as against them. Portraying people of color as heroic was rare ground as well.