“Conan is finally ready to rally the Aesir to battle against the forces of King Aosoka and the Grandsons of Heaven. But once Buryat is liberated, are more sinister forces at work? Friends are not always friends and things are not always as they appear in the final part of this four-part story arc by Rascally Roy Thomas!”

(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, #112.)

By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

This issue marks the end of Roy Thomas’ adaptation of the Norvell W. Page novel “Sons of the Bear God” – and I’m glad it’s over.

The late 1960s, 70s and 80s saw a resurgence of much of the early pulp material and piles of pastiches and re-adapted stories saw print. While this was certainly a treasure trove of tales to choose from, not all of them were good. This story by Page is a perfect example of one such bad story.

Thankfully, and I say this selfishly, fellow librarians Bob Freeman and Andy Maglothin got the worst comics in this four-issue arc to review (although in all honesty, that was not by design!) Mine was the conclusion, and in my opinion, the easiest to read of them all. Perhaps it was merely that I knew the arc was over and I felt the need to be gentler with my thoughts.

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #112

It is time to rally the imprisoned Aesir, and Conan heads back to talk to Niord and convince him to join his warband in their overthrow of King Aosoka and the Dwarves of Buryat, a.k.a the Grandsons of Heaven.

But Niord is not interested and afraid, believing that the Grandsons of Heaven (whom Conan scorns and calls merely the “Dwarves of Buryat”) cannot be overcome because of their magic. Conan insults him and the honor of the Aesir – naturally, a scuffle ensues.

The Aesir are kept full of mead and other drink by the dwarves, and Conan suspects this is what is dulling their senses and the will to fight against their oppressors. The barbarian also believes their drinks are being laced with Black Lotus, a Stygian flower well known for its hypnotic powers.

Having found a cure for the lotus-created stupor, Conan gives the antidote to the Aesir. Marching up a hillside, they manage to kill some bears (or find some bearskins) and begin their march on the city. The Aesir, heading towards Buryat, cause a panic – the Heaven Bear is angry with their grandsons the dwarves, the citizens believe – and the city and King Aosoka are soon overcome.

What about Thanamund and his “sister” Tossa? There’s more to the pair then meets the eye, as Conan will find out as he tries to enter the liberated City of Buryat!

CAPSULE REVIEW: Funny looking magical bear ears, viewing glasses, and dwarves overcoming the Aesir is far too much for this classic Conan reader. These are not Tolkien dwarves or Warhammer dwarves – they look more to me like fat hobbits with beards. King Aosoka looks like an overweight little girl. I cannot imagine the many conundrums Roy Thomas dealt with while adapting this mess to accommodate Conan’s Hyborian world.

While John Buscema’s artwork is still strong, it’s difficult to draw realistic and compelling fake bear ears. It’s true. The whole idea is just silly. Did I mention the bear ears? I think I did. For some reason, they really stuck out (pun intended) in this tale. In fact, after reading this story, I felt the strong urge to run around in a bearskin shouting “RRRAR!” at anyone who crossed my path. Well, not really, but I did laugh out loud.

I certainly understand Roy Thomas’ desire to make Conan as real as possible by using references from both Robert E. Howard and other Howard inspired authors. But Norvell W. Page’s novel was just a poor choice that resulted in a poor comic, despite a talented cast of creators.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this isue a 5. Buy this only if you insist on having a “complete” Conan collection.