“Conan’s new position as war chief of the Bamula tribe becomes a challenge almost immediately. The witch doctors consider him an outsider, he still longs for Belit, and a ferocious tribe of vampire-men attack! Conan is left to solve the mystery – and end the savagery – of The Men Who Drink Blood, all the while battling his own inner demons.”

(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, #102.)

By ANDY MAGLOTHIN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

Now serving as war chief (Conan the Barbarian #101), our Cimmerian leads the Bamulas into a brief, well-orchestrated battle against the Kungado tribe. After the Kungado leader surrenders and offers allegiance to Conan, Bamula tribesman Basotu disagrees, stating the Bamulas should kill the Kungado. Conan challenges Basotu, who then cowers and backs down after Conan questions whether he wishes to undergo a challenge by spear.

After Conan and the Bamulas return to their village, the witch doctors taunt their new war chief with songs that he is not welcome and the gods will decide his fate. Conan is reminded he is an outsider and still not accepted by the Bamulas, leading him to acknowledge how much he misses Bêlit. Conan is so lovesick he rejects advances from Felida, who refers to the barbarian as her new chieftain since he defeated her husband Yorubo.

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As Conan and the Bamulas rest, a stealthy figure attacks the lone Bamula warrior standing guard over the tribe’s cattle. The dying guard’s scream awakens Conan, who alerts the Bamula warriors and they rush to his aid. The group is surprised by the sight of human figures with pointed ears and sharp teeth among the cattle – The Men Who Drink Blood!

The Bamula warriors prepare to retreat, but Conan refuses and flings a spear at one of the creatures. The spear finds its mark and is hurled with such force, it pins the man to the side of a cow. The sudden attack causes the other blood-thirsty men to escape and a female scream fills the air.

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Conan rushes to the hut and discovers three of the vampire-like men attempting to haul Felida away. They stand no chance against the barbarian as he kills one and pummels the other.  The third man flees the tent but is killed by a spear flung by Basotu.

Huddled around the captive man, Conan suggests they are merely mortals when an elder Bamula speaks up to recount his experiences with the men who drink blood. His grandfather told him about them when he was much younger and he’s attempted to convince the other Bamula. Fellow tribesmen continue to fear they are drelliks (vampires) because they drink cattle blood and have pointy teeth and ears.

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Conan and the Bamula opt to take the offensive and go after them. The captured man requests to go with Conan and company.  He reveals his name is Ashido, speaks very quietly and must wear protective covers for his eyes since they shun sunlight. Ashido agrees to assist them to the caves, and Conan explains Ashido’s assistance will allow them to get in with minimal problems.

Conan, Ashido and the Bamula warriors travel for a few days until they reach the Drelliks’ village. It is surrounded by a spiked fence which Conan easily climbs then opens the gate. They sneak into the cave to find the Drellik men lying asleep on the stones of the cave. As they journey further into the cave, they find the Drellik king asleep on his throne. Conan and company creep closer to the king when his eyes open suddenly and a gate falls trapping them into the room. Conan realizes it is a trap, grabs Ashido’s neck and quickly stabs him before he can defend himself.

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After the drellik king rises to attack, Conan plunges his sword deep into the monarch’s chest to no avail. It registers to Conan the king is actually a vampire, and despite his best efforts the drellik king bests the barbarian in battle by hurling him against some stones. Basotu and the Bamula warriors surrender as the leader takes the unconscious Cimmerian deeper into the cavern.

CAPSULE REVIEW: Here’s an example of the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”. I’m a big Buscema fan, but the cover of this issue does not work for me. I’m unsure if it is the perspective or color scheme, but it provides a glimpse at a scene where Felida is captured by the drellik.  Many other Buscema covers feature better artwork. I think a face off between Conan and the drellik king would have been a more effective front piece.

This issue continues to display Roy Thomas’ pacing and ability to maintain the reader’s interest. There’s enough background information for the casual reader to pick up the story and it’s provided smoothly, but not too heavy to result in boredom for a longtime fan. Thomas provided an initial twist where Conan “reveals” the men are not true vampires, but the reveal displaying the drellik king’s invulnerability and super-human strength is a surprise. The cliff-hanger ending is perfect. 

Buscema and Chan support the narrative with character defining artwork and lasting images.  Where else will you find a battle ending with a man pinned to a cow by a spear?  Beef…it’s what’s for dinner. I’ll take a ribeye…medium rare please.

They also provide defining appearances for the characters. The vampire king is lanky with pointy features including jawline, fingers, ears and joints, providing a menacing look.  The character’s emotions are easily understood from the artwork alone. Finally, let’s not forget the efforts of George Roussos to provide specific skin tones to the characters. This effort is often under recognized but a key part in the story of a wandering barbarian.

Broken record time: another solid issue and please add it to your collection. I give it 7.5 Aquilonian Luna out of 10. It deserves an 8 or 8.5, but I have to knock it a bit for the cover.

Living life my own way – Andy from Aquilonia