(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 was published from 1970 to 1999. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian Vol. 1, #88. You may notice that our review of #89 was already posted – we skipped this one in error!)

By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

At long last, Conan is reunited with his Shemite pirate queen and he’s brought his new companion, Zula, along for the ride. Conan the Barbarian #88 continues the Stygian story line we’ve been following for some time now, and makes good use of the characters we’ve been reading about since the Hawk Riders of Harakht first made off with our heroes in Conan the Barbarian #75.

The fate of Belit’s father, Atrahasis, is revealed in this issue. At the risk of beating a dead horse – or rather the ugly stain of the horse at this point – I’d encourage those of you who are currently being visually victimized by the Age of Conan: Belit mini-series to read this issue of Conan and perhaps the next few that follow. Once you’ve got them in hand and begin to read, you’ll have a much better idea of Belit’s origin and her motivations as the pirate queen of the Black Coast.

The history-making artistic team of John Buscema and Ernie Chan continue their masterful pencils and inks in this issue. Their drawing of Conan – and depiction of Stygians, in particular – set the standard for how the characters and people would be drawn for the remainder of this long-running series.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #88

Conan is reunited with a suspicious Belit. The she-pirate meets Zula and regards him doubtfully, but adds that if Conan vouches for him, he’s welcome to come along. The trio is headed back into Luxur despite Belit’s recent escape, and here she plans to discover the whereabouts of her missing father.

Nim-Karrak, Belit’s uncle, now sits on the throne of her father’s city, and rumor abounds that dear old dad is bound in chains in the dungeons of Luxur. Much has happened, and for the first twelve pages of the comic, Belit recounts her adventure – and her rescue by Conan and Zula – in flashbacks told to the pair.

Belit explains that she and Neftha were transformed into serpents to make their way through the caverns underneath the palace. Neftha shared with Belit how the king, Ctesphon II, lived in fear of a wizard named Thoth-Amon to the point he spends sleepless nights in terror, reading over mystical scrolls and texts. As Neftha led Belit to his chamber, the king was indeed in a state of paranoia, reading the magical texts Neftha described.

Belit took the opportunity to attack Ctesphon, only to discover that he was actually the king’s advisor, Hath-Horeb, in disguise. The advisor informed the Shemite pirate-queen that Neftha was actually Ctesphon’s sister, and Belit was merely a cog in her plans to take over the throne.

Hath-Horeb knocked Belit unconscious, and she was rescued from the sarcophagus in which the advisor imprisoned her by Conan and Zula.

Re-entering the caverns below Luxur with Conan and the Zamballan, Belit leads the group to a passage Neftha had told her about, and they discover Neftha ready to be executed. Immediately, the group takes action – Belit makes her way to Ctesphon, demanding he tell her what has become of her father. Cowering, the king admits Atrahasis was executed years ago.

In anger, Belit pushes Ctesphon off a ledge to his death and in a shocking twist, Hath-Horeb crowns Neftha (who was almost executed moments before) as King Ctesphon III.

The newly crowned “king” orders the death of Belit and the capture of Conan and Zula. Belit throws a spear, slaying Hath-Horeb as the trio flees. Neftha orders her men to pursue.

CAPSULE REVIEW: Whew! I needed to catch my breath after such an action packed issue. Roy Thomas’ style of storytelling is something that is sorely missing from Marvel’s newest incarnation of Conan. As I read the many plot twists and turns in this single issue, I imagined how writers today would stretch it into a six-issue story arc, milking each plot twist for another $3.99 of each readers valuable income.

Conan the Barbarian #88 is a great example of classic storytelling, where the words and pictures work together – or sometimes alone – to tell a long and compelling tale. Narrative boxes fill in gaps in the artwork, and often the artwork does a better job making dramatic points than Thomas’ words.

George Roussos coloring is in full-swing here, continuing to accentuate the pencils and inks of John Buscema and Ernie Chan. Note the differences in the dark-skinned characters in the book – Roussos makes it clear that Stygians are subtly different in appearance than the Kushites, and it’s things like this that make Roussos one of my all-time favorites in Marvel’s pool of colorists.

Great storytelling, more quality art from the Buscema/Chan team, and the continued fleshing out of Belit’s background earn a 7.5 out of 10 for this issue.

On eBay, copies of this issue were available for less than $5.