Conan the Barbarian #71 – “The Altar of the Damned!”

((EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. Today’s installment is written by Dean Plakas.)


We find Conan, Belit, and members of the Black Corsairs imprisoned in a dungeon, recovering from drugged wine given to them by a tricky priest named  Akkheba. The bloodthirsty priest informs them that he plans to sacrifice them to the goddess Ashtoreth.  
They are quickly rescued by Belit’s sub-chieftain M’Gora and crew member Kawaku. The two men have discovered an escape hatch to the dungeon cells through which Conan and his imprisoned companions crawl to safety. 


Conan and crew make their way to a cliff where Conan spots the Tigress and her skeleton crew awaiting their return, but while Belit desires to go back to the Tigress, Conan has other ideas. 


The Cimmerian prefers to return to and punish Akkheba, take the gold and jewels owed to him and the crew of the Tigress for protecting the city (which Kawaku agrees that Conan should do), and save Aluna from the clutches of the evil Kelkans.  


An insanely jealous Belit believes that Conan‘s real reason to return is to rescue the lovely Aluna only, but he quells her doubts with strong words and a kiss. She believes him and orders her men to the ship as she and Conan make their way back to the city. 

Unfortunately, after fighting and killing several guards on their way into the city, Conan and Belit find Aluna has been sacrificed by the priest Akkheba, who manages to escape from Conan and Belit. 


As they search for him, they hear a woman sobbing. They climb the stairs, following the sound to the top of the tower. Conan comes across iron bars, and as he has done before in earlier tales, he breaks the iron bars with his bare hands and they make their way to the tower room.

There they find Astarta, a young woman who reveals herself to be Ashtoreth. Belit and Conan do not believe her to be Ashtoreth, so she tells them her story (via flashback). She reveals that she is a foreigner who was wed to a sea-god. The sea-god gave her immortality and she believes the sea-god destroyed her coastal city along with many other islands when he grew angry with Atlantis and had it swallowed up by the oceans. He spared her life and made sure she washed safely ashore on Kelka. Unfortunately when the island priests discovered her, they mistook her to be the goddess Ashtoreth.  She tells Conan and Belit that the high priests have kept her imprisoned and abused for generations. She also tells them that their magic has kept the sea-god from hearing her calls for help.

As they talk, the Barachan Pirates, led by Auro, return to the city and start fighting the guards. As Conan tries to avoid getting involved in this battle, he and Belit are met by Akkheba and his guards. They fight. Akkheba tries to escape again but Conan and Belit give chase. Cornered, Akkheba is about to face Conan‘s wrath when an angry Belit robs Conan of his revenge and kills Akkheba herself.  


With the wicked priest dead, Astarta/Ashtoreth’s powers return and in a foreign language she calls out to the sea-god who hears her calls to bring the seas down on the island. She advises Conan and Belit to flee for their lives.


As the island crumbles, we learn that Kawaku found Auro’s pirates on the far side of the island and that Kawaku encouraged their attack on the city as a distraction – so that he could steal the gold and jewels. He insults Conan and Belit. An angry Conan knocks Kawaku unconscious and he carries him as he and Belit run to the shore. The three crew members of the Tigress board a longboat and make their way to their ship and safety. 

CAPSULE REVIEW: This tale is freely adapted from the original story The Marchers of Valhalla written by Conan creator Robert E. Howard.  It’s beautifully illustrated with pencils by John Buscema and inks by Ernie Chan, who was credited for his inks on Buscema’s earlier Conan issues as Ernie Chua.


An interesting tale, but nothing really new here from Roy Thomas..Conan in a dungeon cell? Done. A jealous Belit? What else is new. Woman washed up on shore mistaken for a goddess? Check. Conan breaking iron bars with his bare hands? Seen it already. Crooked high priests? Done, and we’ll see plenty more of them. Sacrificed damsel? Yawwnnnn. Towers tumbled down and a city destroyed by magic? Seen that too. 


Far too many familiar themes here. If this were the first Conan issue I read or owned I could see giving it a 8 out of 10, maybe higher, but because there is really nothing here I haven’t seen for the last 35 issues I give it a 6 out of 10. Copies were available on eBay for $5 or less.


“And this story shall also be told.” –The Wizard in Conan The Barbarian