(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to The Classic Conan Countdown, a series of reviews focusing on the original 275 issues of Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian, which were published from 1970 to 1993. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian Vol. 1, #77.)

By ANDY MAGLOTHIN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

Conan the Barbarian #77 wastes no time getting into the thick of the plot – the opening splash page shows our Cimmerian in the clutches of a gray-skinned giant. At the end of the last issue, Conan was thrown into a pit, where he discovered a sacred stone and was grabbed by the massive humanoid as he approached.

Conan quickly becomes the aggressor, climbing onto the giant and locking his arms around its neck. Without hesitation, the giant hurls the Cimmerian across the room with ease. As the giant holds the barbarian’s head to the ground, he swiftly grabs the sacred stone, intending to bash in Conan’s skull.

The scene abruptly shifts to the Temple of the Hawk-God, where we find brother-kings Mer-Ath and Neftha discussing Conan’s fate. Neftha asks Mer-Ath if there is any way he can intervene on Conan’s behalf. Mer-Ath stresses the decision is not his to make, it is up to his brother, Hor-Neb. Mer-Ath is merely a priest, but Hor-Neb is a warrior and thirsts to have all of Stygia kneel before him.

At the same time, Bêlit is being held captive by a group of guards. She is fighting to free herself  when Hor-Neb demands they all stop fighting. Hor-Neb approaches Bêlit, asking why she is fighting so hard when he has offered her the queenship of Harakht – the Shemite hellcat has the option of either joining him on the throne or dying with Conan. As the conversation continues, Bêlit stops fighting and Hor-Neb calls for her release, stating that her choice is obvious. As Bêlit and Hor-Neb approach each other, she attacks him, clawing at his eyes proclaiming she prefers to join Conan in hell than serve with Hor-Neb on the thrown of heaven. Angered by her response and attack, Hor-Neb has the guards take Belit away.

Meanwhile, Conan has been pinned to the floor by the giant. The colossus’ arms are so long, Conan is able to pull his legs up, scissoring the giant’s head between Conan’s calves, but more importantly, pushing the rock from the giant’s hand. Conan flips the giant to the ground, grabs the giant stone with intent now to kill him. For some reason, Conan pauses for an instant when the giant stammers in a gloomy voice, “Go on, outlander! Kill me!”

Standing atop the giant with rock in hand, Conan opts against the fatal blow, instead asking the hulking humanoid how he came to live in the pit. The giant reveals his name is Gol-Thir, and he was placed there to keep an eye on the sacred stone and hawk eggs. Gol-Thir was one of the stronger guards in Harakht, and when Hor-Neb discovered the stone would accelerate the growth of the raptor eggs, the giant was placed there to stand guard. The energy of the stone caused Gol-Thir to grow to gigantic proportions within a short time. Conan requests Gol-Thir’s help out of the pit, and he agrees as long as Conan promises not to hurt Hor-Neb.

Gol-Thir assists by breaking the shackle around Conan’s neck. Using extreme strength and skill, Conan climbs the crooked, jagged rock facing back to the top of the pit. Conan creeps around the throne chamber until he enters an area where he finds Hor-Nab, Mer-Ath, Neftha, and a large number of guards high above him. Hor-Nab challenges Conan to decide he and Bêlit’s fate. There are two doors in front of Conan: one door has Bêlit and a passage to freedom, one door has certain death.

Conan refuses to pick and opts to scale the wall to attack Hor-Neb. He quickly discovers the king planned ahead –  the top of the walls are freshly greased and Conan falls to the ground. Neftha asks Mer-Ath which door would allow Conan to escape safely. Mer-Ath says Hor-Neb told him the
door on the left housed Bêlit and lead to safety. With a slight gesture, Neftha alerts Conan to pick the left door – which reveals a razor-fanged giant leopard growling and ready for the attack.

Hor-Neb reveals he knew both Neftha and Mer-Ath would attempt to warn Conan, so he intentionally told them the wrong door. Hor-Neb calls for a guard to seize them.  As a guard approaches Neftha, she grabs his sword, slicing into him and knocking him into the pit with Conan and the vicious leopard. The leopard sees the wounded soldier lying on the ground and attacks. Neftha flings the stolen sword to Conan and he opens the other door to reveal a bound and groggy Bêlit.

A third panel opens to reveal Gol-Thir, who enters the pit as Conan attempts to carry Bêlit to safety. Hor-Neb demands Gol-Thir attack Conan. The giant approaches the Cimmerian, their eyes meet and Conan realizes something is amiss. Gol-Thir grabs Conan’s arm, hurling him atop of the stone wall right in front of Hor-Neb. The giant’s legs are so weak from his rapid, uncontrolled growth, they snap beneath him.

Conan lands atop the wall and the palace guards attack. Conan seizes an opportunity to hurl his sword into Hor-Neb’s arm. The attack catches Hor-Neb off balance and he tumbles into the pit – right onto the leopard. The leopard takes advantage of another easy kill. Acting quickly once more, Conan grabs a soldier’s spear and jumps into the pit to face the leopard. The leopard springs high into the air and Conan times his attack to thrust the spear through the cat’s body. The guards once loyal to Hor-Neb now cheer for Mer-Ath as the bodies of Hor-Neb and Gol-Thir lie dead in the pit. This is a new day for Harakht – as king, Mer-Ath will transform the people from a war-mongering nation to one of peace.

CAPSULE REVIEW: Another awesome Gil Kane/Ernie Chan cover sets the stage for this action packed issue. We see many iconic covers from the Conan the Barbarian series, but this one does not get enough recognition. The perspective and intensity of the scene prepares the reader for a fun-filled comic.

Picking up where Conan the Barbarian #76 ends, Thomas gives us a cliffhanger battle between Gol-Thir and Conan before he transitions to a scene with Mer-Ath and Neftha. This cliffhanger keeps you wanting
more, wondering if the Cimmerian might be in major trouble – or worse – when we see him again..

Kudos to Roy Thomas who is credited as writer/editor and Archie Goodwin as consulting editor. Pacing like this is a credit to the comic medium! The team of John Buscema and Ernie Chan continues to impress with this issue. The intense dialogue and fighting between Conan and Gol-Thir is palpable from panel to panel. Details in the artwork like the stones, rock formations, and shadows all help set the mood and texture of the environment. The story behind the sacred stone provides some explanation for the giant raptors, but also leaves some mystery behind – where did the stone come from? Has it affected Conan or anyone else exposed to its magic? Is it in any way related to the Star-Stone way back in Conan the Barbarian #1?

On a scale of 1-10, I give this issue of Conan 8 Aquilonian Luna.

Living life my own way – Andy from Aquilonia