“High priest Hun-Ya-Di’s assassins have all failed, and it is time for the Stygian to take matters into his own hands. Will Conan the Barbarian – now King Conan – be able to outwit and defeat this new threat, or will it be a short-lived kingship for our favorite Cimmerian, as he fails in his mission for Mer-Ath?”

(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) #81.)

By BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

As a kid, John Buscema was my Conan artist, and still is, but I recall quite vividly purchasing this run of the Barbarian featuring Ernie Chan’s inks over Howard Chaykin’s pencils.

I was aghast when I saw the credits in Conan the Barbarian #79. But by the time I reached “The Hyborian Page” at the end of the book, I was sold, thrilled by Chaykin’s visual storytelling prowess. It was a great fit.

Of course, we learned that Big John had fallen behind on Conan, due to his overwhelming duties on the equally brilliant Tarzan (among other things). Snatching up a story slated for Savage Sword, and having Ernie add a page here or there throughout the run, made for an exciting change of pace and gave Buscema a much needed break that would ultimately lead to one of my favorite Buscema runs.

But more on that later.

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #81

Having defeated Ptolemy in combat, Conan is declared king of Attalus. The Cimmerian leads the troops now under his command to meet the invading Stygians. There he confronts Hun-Ya-Di, whose ambition is to sow discord that he might rest control of the warring city states and bring them under Luxor’s dominion.

Hun-Ya-Di has recruited mountain villagers to his cause and he leads this large army into the valley. Despite having superior bow power, Hun-Ya-Di is forced to send in ground troops due to Conan’s tactics, utilizing the terrain to their advantage.

The Cimmerian and his men make swift work of the Stygians and hillmen, then Conan comes face to face with Hun-Ya-Di himself.

Despite a surprising amount of martial skill, the wizard is defeated by Conan, and, as he dies, the sacred Eye of Set in Conan’s pouch begins to bleed.

As Conan reflects on his victory he is approached by Ptolemy, who has recovered from his defeat at the Cimmerian’s hands. Conan braces for battle, but Ptolemy is honorable and thus pledges his fealty. Showing remorse, the former king delivers a tribute to Conan —the severed head of Ablah.

Conan in turn hands over the crown of Attalus to Ptolemy, proclaiming he has more “wandering to do before I find the land and throne that suit me.”

The Cimmerian is set to return to Belit, but not before spending a final night with Bardylis.

CAPSULE REVIEW:  Thomas continues to produce an interesting adaptation of Howard’s El Borak tale, “The Lost Valley of Iskander”. Originally slated for Savage Sword, this Chaykin/Chan story was re-cut and edited to fit into the Barbarian timeline in order to give regular penciler John Buscema a brief respite.

Despite my reservations, I found the issue to be one of the best issues of the entire series. Chaykin’s ability to tell a visual story is so compelling and with Chan’s inks, it really maintains a consistency to the art. While there are clear distinctions between Big John and Hapless Howie, Chan bridges the gap between them and maintains continuity.

While I think that Buscema is the better draughtsman, Chaykin produced in this adaptation a more kinetic energy than you find with John’s work. Page 14, for example, is such a beautiful, frenzied battle scene, with the larger panel being one of my favorite Conan images.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 9. On eBay, this issue generally is available for around $5.

Alba Gu Brath – Bob Freeman (The Occult Detective)

“Conan and Bardylis arrive in Attalus, having traveled down the mountain to the Lost Valley of Iskander. But as Conan settles in, believing he is safe, The Cimmerian discovers that the treachery of Hun-Ya-Di has followed him to the small city. Will he survive the high priest’s constant assaults?”

(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) #80.)

By ANDY MAGLOTHIN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

John Buscema takes a hiatus once more in this issue, and we’re treated to another team-up featuring the pencils of Howard Chaykin and Ernie Chan.

It’s interesting to note that while Marvel’s Conan featured its own versions of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (Fafnir and Blackrat, from Conan the Barbarian #6), Chaykin was responsible for the pencils on the real Fafhrd and Grey Mouser in DC Comic’s Sword and Sorcery #1-5 in 1973. No stranger to fantasy illustration, Chaykin had also tackled two Red Sonja tales in the magazine-sized Kull and the Barbarians (1975) as well as a Killraven story in Amazing Adventures in 1973.

This issue continues Roy Thomas’ adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s El Borak tale “The Lost Valley of Iskander”.

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #80

Bardylis explains to Ptolemy that Conan is on a mission from the king of Harakht. Ptolemy warns that he’d better not be a Stygian spy, or the woman will regret covering for the barbarian with her life. Ptolemy accepts their explanation, so Conan and Bardylis depart to relax for the evening. On the way to get food, Conan sees what he thinks is a familiar face in the crowd. After their meal, Conan retires for the evening and hides a jewel he was carrying in the walls of his chamber.

He awakens early in the morning, noticing the faint sounds of someone in the room. As quickly as he realizes this, he is knocked unconscious by a blow to the head.

Conan awakens to the familiar face he saw earlier and realizes he is restrained and tied to a large block. The familiar face is Ablah, who is working for Hun-Ya-Di to recover the Eye of Set. Ablah orders the men to search Conan and when they untie him, Conan attacks. During the battle, Conan kills one of the men and Ablah takes the opportunity to escape.

Conan leaves the area, finds Bardylis and explains the series of events. Ptolemy then sends guards to corral Conan and Bardylis, demanding that they be taken to his throne room. The guards bring Conan and the woman to Ptolemy, and upon arrival, see Ablah telling Ptolemy that Conan will ruin Attalus. An angry Ptolemy attacks the Cimmerian. Ptolemy is much faster than Conan anticipated, quickly grabbing Conan in a death grip. Our barbarian uses his great strength to flip Ptolemy over and then punches him in the face.

Using his huge arms, Ptolemy lifts Conan high in the air attempting to crush him. Conan strikes the king on both sides of his head causing the noble to release him. Dazed and breathing heavily from the battle. Ptolemy takes another blow from Conan to the belly. To end the fray, Conan strikes with a massive uppercut, knocking Ptolemy out of the battle for good.

The issue ends as Aristo, a guard, bursts into the area announcing the
Stygians are attacking. He suddenly drops dead with an arrow protruding from his back. Since Conan defeated Ptolemy, he is now King of Attalus!

CAPSULE REVIEW:  Although Howard Chaykin teams up with Ernie Chan for the pencils on this issue, the Buscema-Chan team still provides cover artwork! The cover illustration features a glimpse into the intense battle on the interior pages. As usual, the team leaves no detail undrawn here, catching your eye and visually demanding that you read this issue.

“Trial by Combat!” picks up immediately where Conan the Barbarian #79 ended with a brief synopsis, allowing anyone who missed the previous
issue to be brought up to speed with the story line. This comic is well paced throughout and keeps you turning the page, but it seems to start and end abruptly. Combining a few of the issues in this story line into a 100-page giant-sized issue would provide a more fluid, epic story. This single issue, like several others, feels incomplete if not read with the other issues to keep the continuity flowing.

Chaykin and Chan’s art is competent enough to keep the Conan lover engaged in the story. There are panels that almost look like Buscema’s work. The battle between Conan and Ptolemy is entertaining,  Due to the such an abrupt beginning and end, I give this issue 6 Aquilonian Luna out of 10.

On eBay, copies were available for $5 or less.

Living life my own way – Andy from Aquilonia