Conan the Barbarian #72 Vengeance In Asgalun!

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics.  This review is written by Bob Freeman.)

One of the unsung
heroes of Marvel Comics was Marie Severin, whom we lost on August 29,
2018. She had worked on Conan before her coloring stints on issues 69
and 72, having added her considerable illustrative talents to the
cover of issue 10. She served as an inker on issue 20 of Conan the
King and was the colorist on the graphic novel Conan the Reaver. She
was also instrumental on another Robert E. Howard property, Kull the
Conqueror, having pencilled issues 2-10 of that series, and coloring
various others.

Marie Severin’s mark
was all over Marvel, as a penciler, inker, and colorist, and her
death earlier this year was a heavy blow to all who knew and
appreciated her skill and professionalism. As I revisited this issue
of Conan the Barbarian, I found her color choices sensible and
dynamic, blending perfectly with the artwork, adding to the whole
without distraction.

Realizing that
Buscema, Chan, and Severin are all gone from this world makes one
appreciate the legacies they left behind all the more. This is issue
of Conan the Barbarian is a fine example of all their best efforts.

Trouble is brewing
for Bêlit.
While she and Conan, along with the crew of The Tigress,
successfully raid a Shemite vessel, the pirate Kawaku disobeys
Bêlit’s command
to accept the surrender of any that call for it.
He instead, murders one in cold blood, drawing the Queen of the Black
Coast’s ire. The seed of mutiny is sown.

Meanwhile, N’Yaga’s
illness worsens. Belit turns the ship back to Asgalun that she might
retrieve healing herbs. Disguised as a weaponmaker and his wife,
Conan and Bêlit
enter the city, but finding a strong Stygian presence there,
Conan presents themselves as acrobats and entertainers. Rasirith,
finding their ‘marital spat’ amusing, grants them an audience with
Nim-Karrak, who overthrew Bêlit‘s
father, and the Stygian King’s representative, Ptor-Nubis.

As Conan and Bêlit
perform for Nim-Karrak, her hatred boils over and she snatches a
sword from a nearby guard. Ptor-Nubis
uses his Stygian sorcery to charm Bêlit,
compelling her to attack Conan.

As the swordfight
becomes increasingly more deadly, Nim-Karrak puts an end to it,
ordering Conan to be conscripted as a soldier, whilst Bêlit
is to be his concubine, at least until he tires of her. Once taken to
his private chambers,
Bêlit recovers the vial containing the herbs she needs
to heal N’Yaga, then attacks Nim-Karrak with a chair, then breaks a
wine bottle, prepared to kill the king with the jagged glass.
Nim-Karrak begs for his life, swearing that her father is alive in
the dungeons of the Stygian city of Luxur.

Bêlit
is confronted by Ptor-Nubis, but she escapes before he can use
his sorcery against her. She soon comes upon Conan. The barbarian
makes short work of the guards who hold him and he and Bêlit
steal away on a chariot. Escaping the city, Bêlit
vows to rescue her father from Luxur, declaring “…if
you will walk by my side, my lover, I’ll find and save him though all
the sorcerers of the Black Ring itself should stand against me!”

CAPSULE
REVIEW:  So close to scoring
a 10 on this issue. I docked it half a point because of the awkward
weaponmaker/acrobat schtick and that odd moment when Conan is
shouting while having a dagger clenched in his teeth, but otherwise
this issue was absolutely brilliant. Roy Thomas paints a terrific
picture, building tensions amongst the crew of The Tigress and
political intrigue and plot twists as he really brings the Hyborian
Age alive.

Of course, this is
helped by the almost unparalleled artistic mastery of the combination
of John Buscema and Ernie Chan. Only Alfredo Alcala rivals Chan for
inking Buscema. Just look at that splash page. The black leaves
plenty of room for the illustration to breath, while the feathering
and shading enhances the pencils underneath.

This is a great
transition issue, setting up so many exciting elements that will come
to fruition in future installments. You can tell that Thomas has a
plan with this title and he is crafting a masterpiece augmented by an
art team that is able to deliver on his vision.

On a scale of 1-10,
I’d rate this issue an 9.5. On eBay, this issue was
readily available for less than $10.

Alba Gu Brath – BF
(aka The Occult Detective)