(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s original Conan the Barbarian series weekly. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #8.)

By WALLY MONK – PM Library Editor

This issue once again ties into Robert E. Howard’s work directly, but it isn’t connected to anything that was finished during the author’s lifetime.

“The Keepers of the Crypt!” is adapted from a small segment of a story called “Tha Halls of the Dead” which was later finished by prolific Conan author L. Sprague DeCamp. It was published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1967. 

After Marvel’s adaptation, Dark Horse Comics would produce their own version of the story, which took place in their own issues of Conan #29-31.  Here, we see Conan in the type of adventure our Cimmerian handles best – we’re treated to a dragon, an ancient city, hordes of treasure, and the return of Jenna, who we last saw leaving the barbarian while he slept and taking off with his golden heart in Conan the Barbarian #6.

This is one of my favorite issues during the Windsor-Smith and Thomas run on Conan. Not only does it begin to really thread all of the preceding issues together, but it continues to built an ongoing storyline.

Perhaps – and I leave it to you to decide – Jenna was Conan’s first “real love” before Belit, Queen of the Black Coast. They certainly have behaved like a real couple since their first encounter!

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #8

Conan is on the run. Last issue, we saw the Cimmerian break into the House of Relics in Numalia, and the powers-that-be were not happy. A group of Corinthian mercenaries are in hot pursuit of the Cimmerian, and Conan is hiding at the top of a cliff, watching the mercenaries pursue him below.

It seems Corinth has an alliance with Nemedia (the country in which Numalia resides). Captain Burgun, the leader of the group, explains that “when our neighbors cry fox, we look to his hen-house!” Conan is no fool, and finding some loose boulders at the top of the cliff, rolls them down on the unlucky mercenaries, killing all but Captain Burgun. 

Burgun is ready to do battle with the barbarian – but suddenly recognizes Conan from a battle years ago, where Conan fought with the Cimmerians against his men from Venarium. He says that he would have killed Conan then, but left the Aquilonian army and wound up with the Corinthian mercenaries.

Talk is cheap, and Conan easily defeats Burgun, leaving him for dead.   As Conan continues on his journey, he finds an old walled city which appears to be abandoned.

Once inside, Conan sees the ruins of what apparently was an ancient civilization! But the streets are empty. Many buildings are in shambles, and he soon discovers why. A large dragon – which actually looks more like a desert lizard or Gila Monster – senses Conan’s presence and moves to the attack. Conan looks for higher ground, knowing that he can’t defeat this dragon with just his sword and his skills. 

Conan begins to lob rubble into the beast’s open maw. And as it rolls over in pain and agony, the barbarian comes down from the high ground to finish it off.

Having made short work of the gila monster-dragon, Conan begins to scope out the city further. It is truly abandoned – but Conan spies a temple further off in the ruins, and where there are temples, one can find treasure!

It doesn’t take Conan long to find his way to the temple – where he is suddenly taken off-guard by Captain Burgun! Whether he feigned death or wasn’t seriously wounded we don’t find out, but he’s ready to finish his Cimmerian adversary off for good. Perhaps battle-weary or just tired of Burgun’s banter, Conan reminds him that there may be more dangers lurking. The two agree to an uneasy truce as they enter the temple in search of treasure.

As they expected, the temple contains more jewels than the pair could imagine, in a room guarded by  long-dead warriors. Of particular interest to them both is a statue of a jade serpent. Both want it, so instead of facing off with swords, they decide to cast lots for the winner. But as Conan wins the die roll and takes his prize, the undead guardians begin to animate.

Can Conan and Captain Burgun defeat these ancient guardians? Will Conan make it out of the temple with the treasured jade serpent? And where is Jenna, anyway?

CAPSULE REVIEW: This was an excellent read and a fun issue. The fact that the Corinthians are looking for Conan begins to build on the reputation that the barbarian will have throughout his career as a reaver and a slayer – we see here that he’s wanted “dead-or-alive” by two different kingdoms. We’re also treated to a flashback of Conan’s past, when he met Captain Burgun years before. The captain remembers Conan as being so savage that Burgun tried to cut through his own men just to take out our Cimmerian!

We see lots of action in this story, but the action takes place along with witty and clever dialogue. It’s interesting to see Conan playing a dice game to see who “won” the jade serpent – perhaps Conan had a clever plot to take it anyway if he had lost? Windsor-Smith’s artwork is once again top-notch if not a little campy at times and it seems like Roy Thomas had fun with the banter and beginning to tie threads together from previous stories. I’d rate this issue a 7.9 out of 10. 

On eBay, CGC graded 9.0-9.2 copies ranged from $95-$129.95. Ungraded copies sold for much less, as low as $8.00 buy-it-now in G/VG condition.