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Posts Tagged ‘L. Sprague DeCamp’

December 6th, 2019 By Wally Monk, Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: Conan Faces “The Demon of the Night”

REVIEW: Conan Faces “The Demon of the Night”

“This issue of Conan is the conclusion of L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter’s story “The Snout in the Dark,” which was put together and completed from an unfinished Robert E. Howard manuscript. In today’s comic, Conan must wrap up unfinished political business while coming face-to-face with a demon!”

(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, #107.)

BY WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

We’re a mere eight issues away from Roy Thomas’ parting-of-ways with our Cimmerian hero. I tend to savor these issues, from #100-115, as many of them came out during the height of my youthful comic-collecting days.

Rascally Roy will disappear from this title from issues #116-239, replaced by other talented writers, including J.M. DeMatteis, Bruce Jones, and later, James Owsley (now known as Christopher Priest). While Bruce Jones is one of my favorite comic writers, even he would not have the subtle grasp of Conan’s nuances that Roy Thomas was able to employ.

Thomas would re-appear to wrap up Marvel’s initial Conan run, scripting issues #240-275. His final issue was an ongoing tale that sees its end in Savage Sword of Conan. In the 1990s, Roy wrote a new series, Conan the Adventurer, which lasted a mere 14 issues. Several mini-series events would follow before the torch would be passed to Dark Horse Comics. You can read the review of one such mini-series, Conan: Lord of the Spiders, here.

But I am getting ahead of myself. For now, there are a few more Roy Thomas/John Buscema issues to enjoy, and many more issues of Conan’s original run to review! Today’s installment is the second part of Roy’s adaptation of “The Snout in the Dark” which began in issue #106.

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #107

(For background information prior to reading this review, please read Bob Freeman’s review of Conan the Barbarian #106.)

Conan and the Kushite queen Tananda are at a stand-off. The queen is determined to torture Diana, who she suspects of being a political tool and a spy of the cunning Tuthmes. But Conan, her new captain-of-the-guard, isn’t having it. He barks at her, telling her to put down the whip. The political climate in Tananda’s city is tense, and punishing Diana will only rile up rival nobles.

The barbarian wins the argument, despite Tananda’s threats and anger. He takes Diana down from her shackles and carries her out of the room. An angry Tananda screams at the barbarian, accusing him of preferring the captive over her due to Diana’s “lily-white skin.”

Shubba, the street dweller under Tuthmes’ employ, sees Conan leaving with the Nemedian “gift” and rushes off to tell his benefactor. Unamused but unsurprised, Tuthmes indicates that it is time to have the conjuror Muror summon the great pig-demon to kill Diana, should she reveal any of his plans to Conan, and the barbarian as well.

Meanwhile in the city square, Tananda has moved forward with her plan to have a man named Aahmes executed. With tensions already high in the city and unrest over Tananda’s violent rule, Conan knows this will only incite the populace more against the queen. In disgust, he goes off to find Diana.

Conan arrives in the nick of time, as the Cimmerian enters her chambers to see the great pig-demon beginning to form. Grabbing his sword, he rushes to her defense and a battle ensues.

The barbarian stabs the monster repeatedly and for moments it seems as if the beast may have the upper hand. But a deadly blow to the demon’s neck causes it to stagger away, bleeding and half-dead.

Conan trails the monstrosity to the town square, where it falls dead at the feet of the sorcerer Muru – the man who brought it forth! Since Muru is standing with Tuthmes, an angry man in the crowd – Ageera, a “witch smeller” – accuses Tuthmes and the wizard of controlling the beast and the mob attacks.

Queen Tananda orders her soldiers to stop the crowd, but they turn on her, killing her instead. As the city erupts in violence and mayhem, Conan takes Diana and together the duo flees the burning city.

CAPSULE REVIEW: An excellent ending to a good story. While I never read the original tale as written by de Camp and Carter, Roy Thomas did an excellent job in this tale examing the intrigues of the Hyborian Age, even in the uncivilized lands of Kush.

Once again, George Roussos quality coloring is evident in the different hues of the Kushite tribesmen. You can see people from different tribes all in different and subtle hues. This wasn’t an easy feat to accomplish and he deserves kudos for making the artistic distinctions. Even when comparing the Nemedian Diana to Conan we see different skin tones.

Conan again plays second-fiddle in this story to the ongoing plot among the Kushites, but as is always the case with our Cimmerian, he saves the day – or at least the girl – and rides off to fight another day.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 7.5.

November 5th, 2019 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: Chief No More & A Tower of Dark Shadows

REVIEW: Chief No More & A Tower of Dark Shadows

“The Bamulan witch doctors have finally had enough of the bronze-skinned Cimmerian and our hero is once again on his own. Discovering an abandoned ruin, Conan seeks shelter inside. But as with most abandoned places in the Hyborian world, not all is as it seems! Will Conan survive the Castle of Whispering Shadows?”

(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, #105.)

By ANDY MAGLOTHIN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

This issue, we are treated to another one of Roy Thomas’ adaptations of previously published work. In this case, it’s an adaptation of L. Sprague deCamp and Lin Carter’s Castle of Terror.

Our tale begins with a flashback conversation between Conan and a Bamula priest. The priest accuses Conan of bringing war, drought, and a plague to their people and orders the surrounding Bamula warriors to attack him. Unable to reason with the high priest, Conan slays him, toppling a large totem onto the warriors and fleeing. Conan runs northward, regretting that he did not kill the witch doctors when he took over as war-chief.

Days pass. Conan travels the grassy Kushite plains until he realizes he is being followed by a pride of lions. In an attempt to keep them at bay, Conan fires arrows, and the missiles continue to hit their target but only frighten the beasts off for a short time.

Their hunger increasing and seeing the potential for a great meal, the lioness’ patience wears thin and two attack. Swiftly, a desperate Conan fires an arrow into the first lion’s neck with success but her counterpart is not deterred. Conan takes off in a full sprint until he is almost exhausted.  The remaining pride continues their steady pursuit.

The oldest male lion has tolerated this long enough and sprints at the Cimmerian, but suddenly comes to a screeching halt along with the rest of the pride. This confuses Conan, but he continues his journey, observing a dark structure in the distance and travelling in that direction.

As Conan approaches the fortress-like ruin, a thunderstorm is rolling in across the plains. Conan decides to enter the odd premises. He climbs the stairs to an upper level when he realizes he is fatigued and decides to rest. As he dozes off, his Ka (Stygian for spirit) is aware of supernatural forces in the air. They are the lost souls of beings who died in the building. The spirits are trying to take Conan for their own, but his Ka keeps them at bay.

A group of Stygian warriors also trying to avoid the thunderstorm enters the castle. They set up camp, building a fire and sending a guard to the entrance while the other troops rest. Between the thunderstorm and the commotion from the Stygians, both Conan and the spirits are now on the alert.

The spirits, uniting together, morph into a massive, vile monstrosity of death which attacks large groups of Stygians at the same time.

Knowing the demon is out of his league, Conan takes the quickest way out, scaling the castle’s exterior by using the vines growing growing on the walls.

Unaware of the commotion inside and ignoring Conan’s plea to temporarily join forces, the lone Stygian warrior who was standing guard falls victim to Conan, who slays him on his way to freedom.

CAPSULE REVIEW: The cover of this issue features Buscema artwork with a cast of demons surrounding Conan. The mix of black, white and grey sets an ominous tone, foreshadowing the dangers Conan will face in this issue.  It is a unique cover, marked by lack of color with the exception of our Cimmerian himself.

Thomas’ adaptation of the L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter short story “The Castle of Terror” is a fast paced, exciting read.  Thomas sets the stage tensely multiple times in this issue with encounters between Conan and the Bamula priest, then lions, and finally the demon. Without using thought or word balloons, we know Conan is on edge with each encounter and can glean insight from the artwork into the Cimmerian’s decision to fight or flee.

There is little character development, as the story focuses more on Conan’s speed and decision making skills. I appreciate Thomas providing little explanation for the demon – it adds some mystery and leaves the reader with as many questions as answers. 

Have I mentioned Buscema is my favorite Conan artist?   This issue is another example why I enjoy his art so much.  There’s enough background in the artwork to set the tone, but not distract from the characters. Chan’s shading provides both texture and depth.  Let’s not forget the monstrous blob of a creature constructed by the demons – it is enormous, bloated and foul, and features multiple regenerating arms and tentacles. 

Mix Chet from Weird Science, Jabba the Hutt and the creature from John Carpenters’ The Thing and you’ll understand why Conan opted to flee instead of attempting to fight.

I give it 8 Aquilonian Luna out of 10.

Living life my own way – Andy from Aquilonia

June 27th, 2019 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews 2 Comments »

REVIEW: The Thing in the Crypt and a Young Cimmerian

(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, #92.)

By ANDY MAGLOTHIN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

Roll back the Hyborian clock as we visit a never before seen tale (at least in comics) of a young Conan. Based loosely on the works of L. Sprague deCamp and Lin Carter, the story is inspired by their tale “The Thing in the Crypt”. Those of you who have seen the Conan the Barbarian movie from 1982 might recognize a few things.

Conan recently left Brutheim, and wolves have been chasing him for two days. The pack is exceptionally hungry and would have given up were it not for the long, dark winter.

As a wolf attacks, Conan swings a chain, significantly injuring the animal. The other starving wolves catch up and feast on their fallen friend. Conan reflects how he started out fighting alongside raiders from Aesgaard, was captured by the Hyperboreans and subsequently escaped.

The wolves continue their pursuit and a desperate Conan rushes across a frozen pond as another wolf catches up with him. During the skirmish, they both fall through the ice. The Cimmerian frantically swims to an opening in the ice and finds himself at the base of a small mountain. Our freezing barbarian climbs to the top where he finds a cave in which he takes shelter.

Conan hides just inside the entrance of the cave and sees the wolves at the opening – strangely, they will not enter. He decides to venture deeper into the cave, and the floor is uneven, requiring him to slowly move along the walls. Along the wall, Conan discovers some hieroglyphics and a shorter entrance to another area. The larger chamber features handmade items, which he discovers by accident when he falls over a rotting chair. Conan finds a dilapidated chariot then quickly gathers up other small pieces of wood, some stones, and metal from the chariot, preparing to make a fire.

The flames reveals the enormity of the room, and Conan soon recognizes the stench of death in the air. He has the eerie feeling he is not alone and turns around to find the rotted remains of a being sitting on a stone chair.

Conan’s surprise is short lived as he notices a stunning sword lying in the corpse’s lap. Conan swings the blade, imagining both the origin of its creation and his future use of it in battle. But the barbarian’s excitement quickly fades when he hears the creaking noise of the corpse rising from the chair.

The giant body lumbers toward Conan, and the Cimmerian evades it, attempting to fight back with his new-found sword. Our hero hacks off the creature’s right arm and then strikes the mid-section, causing the zombie to hit the floor.

To Conan’s surprise, the corpse lurches at him yet again. The Cimmerian wildly swings the sword, missing the corpse and allowing the living dead to claw his right shoulder. Conan chops at the head and torso of the zombie to no avail: how can one kill what is already dead?

In a desperate move, Conan slashes at the creature’s left leg then with a massive swing of the sword shatters its lower jaw. Conan stumbles back as a severed hand grabs his left ankle. The corpse seizes the opportunity, grabbing Conan’s neck. The barbarian leans back, and flips the zombie over him and into the fire. Due to its dried out clothing and skin, the beast quickly goes up in flames but still lumbers out in an attempt to get the Cimmerian. It quickly falls to the ground, nearly burned to ash.

Conan finds his way out of the caves and heads southward.

CAPSULE REVIEW: The cover and interiors of this issue are drawn by Sal Buscema, younger brother of John Buscema, and there’s no drop in quality. They both have very similar styles and I think it is more apparent with Ernie Chan’s inks. The cover reveals the unsettling, enormous corpse who attacks Conan. The interior pages show a younger Conan in a snowy forest on the run from wolves. The detail of his journey through the forest, into the cold waters then the dank caves leaves the reader empathetic to Conan’s plight and endurance in the tough climate.

Conan’s appearance indicates the story takes place in an earlier time – according to a note on the first page of the comic, the events in this story take place between Conan the Barbarian #2 and #3. The Cimmerian is dressed like the Barry Windsor-Smith version of Conan from those classic issues – sandals, necklace and the infamous yak helmet. The biggest annoyance I have with this issue is Conan’s helmet staying in place throughout the chase scenes in the forest. Even worse is the helmet staying on as he swims through the icy water. Perhaps the helmet has “magical properties” after all…

The best part of the comic is the battle between the dead warrior and Conan. The images are creepy, as Buscema and the colorist do a great job depicting rotting skin and clothes. Conan’s struggle against the creature is demonstrated through his actions and facial features. The unrelenting attack of the zombie creates an intense scene and the artistic pacing helps set the tone.

Roy Thomas effectively rewinds the timeline to present a hidden tale of Conan’s past. This issue is unique because Conan does not interact with anyone else. There are very few spoken moments, and the story is mostly told by an unseen narrator. I really enjoyed the stand alone, action packed story, and more’s the mystery as we never learn “why” the corpse came back to life.

This issue is unique based on the timeframe, delivery of the story and detailed artwork, I give it 8 Aquilonian Luna out of 10.

Living life my own way – Andy from Aquilonia

May 20th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Guest Writers Comments Off on REVIEW: “Lord of the Spiders” A Compelling Mini-Series

REVIEW: “Lord of the Spiders” A Compelling Mini-Series

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the Classic Conan Countdown, a series of reviews covering the original Marvel Comics’ run of Conan the Barbarian published from 1970-1993. This mini-series was published after the first volume of the ongoing series ended.)

By JOHN JACK – Guest Writer

This mini-series was made a year after Marvel Comics’ bankruptcy, and is one of the last Conan projects before Marvel lost the rights to the Cimmerian for whatever reason. I could not find the specifics online as to why Marvel lost these rights to Dark Horse in the early 2000s or if the rights were voluntarily surrendered.

The synopsis of past stories in these issues makes mention of the 1980 novel by L. Sprague deCamp, “Conan and the Spider-God”, in which Conan fights a massive arachnid in the city of Yesud, and Savage Sword of Conan #207-210, which adapts said novel. Strangely, the series makes no mention of Conan the Barbarian #13, the 1972 issue of Conan that was written by Roy Thomas (just like this series) and featured all of the same.

I’ll assume it was an oversight. No matter which of the three you’d like to use for reference, this mini-series is considered a direct sequel, set a couple of years later.

Review: Conan the Barbarian – Lord of the Spiders #1-3

Our tale begins in the ravaged city of Arenjun, home of the now ruined Tower of the Elephant (Conan the Barbarian #4). A pair of thieves sneak into the city in the dead of night.

The city is rumored to hold untold riches, but no one has made it back alive to tell their tales! Rumors abound that the wizard Yara still haunts the city, protecting it forever with his dark magic.

One of the thieves, Sabo, curses himself for mentioning it to his companion Helliana. She seems aware that he’s just trying to seduce her and tells him to help pry some gems loose from the walls or “go away.”
 
They see the strange figure of an old man, who seems confused but not threatening. She tells Sabo to leave him alone and gets back to her task.
 
Sabo continues prodding the wanderer, asking to see his ring with the intent to steal it. As he wipes the muck off the ring to see what it is, a spider sigil is revealed. Instantly, recognition returns to the old man’s mind, and he knows who he is looking for. The man, Harpagus, is looking for Conan the Cimmerian! 
 
The brigand Sabo threatens to take the ring by force if Harpagus won’t give it to him (Sabo isn’t great at reading a room.) In response, Harpagus turns into a 4-foot-long spider and kills the thief instantly. Helliana turns, ready to kill the monster or die when suddenly the spider speaks! It says, changing back into the wizard as it does so, that she was trying to get Sabo to leave him alone – so he’ll spare her if she’ll serve him. She agrees, of course.
 
The story then shifts to Shadizar, and a familiar voice echoes through the window of a nearby tavern. Conan tells some women with him that he’s out of money – if they expect some for “hanging out” with him. One of them leaves, the other offers to take him home. They walk down the street when they find themselves at a dead end. She snaps her fingers, spring the trap she has led Conan into! Three warriors are after the Cimmerian. I’ll leave the fight specifics for you to enjoy, but the outcome is obvious – our barbarian wins. It’s a honestly an awesome fight.
 
 
As the fight ends, Conan looks up to see Helliana watching. He chases her down as only a Cimmerian can. He catches and interrogates her, but she gets the best of him and escapes. She manages to snag Conan in a secondary trap, where he is caught between two certain deaths. The Cimmerian takes a lateral move not expected and fights his way out again. In her hurry to escape, she drops a coin bearing the insignia of the Tower of the Elephant – Conan knows where to go next!
 



Conan reaches Arenjun by nightfall. As he walks into the city, a man is thrown out of a bar and knocks Conan into a mud pit. In a fury, Conan heads into the bar and demands to know who threw the man out. The man responsible mocks the Cimmerian’s accent and throws a drink in his face – some town this is! The man boasts as he and Conan fight. I’ll let you guess who wins this one. 

The Cimmerian sits down and orders some food and drink, and while making conversation he finds out the priest of Ishtar’s name is Zath – the same as the Spider god of Yezud! Before he can get more information, the city guard appear. Conan is the one they’ve been looking for and there is a reward! Conan fights like a tiger but is overpowered.

Interestingly, the man who leads the city guard to Conan is none other than Blackrat – Roy Thomas’ “likeness” of Fritz Leiber’s Grey Mouser who made his first “unofficial” Conan appearance way back in Conan the Barbarian #6!

Conan awakens in a gigantic web, face to face with Harpagus. Both of them talk of their troubles with the other and neither is really blameless, although one of them is obviously evil. Conan asks if he’s managed to breed more giant spiders, and Zath tells him he’s got something better – the wizard transforms into a spider himself!

 

I’m going to let you discover the end of the mini-series for yourself. The end is killer!

 CAPSULE REVIEW: This mini-series did have a very late 90s feel to it when compared to the 1970s and 1980s Conan with whom I am accustomed. But it IS Roy Thomas, who seemingly exists in all points in time with regard to Conan (similar to Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five). As such, Conan sounds exactly as he should from the man who made Conan the comic character he is today. 
 
The pencils and inks by Stephano Raffaele and Ralph Cabrera feel more like a late 90s X-Men comic than a Conan book. The art is a bit heavy-handed and the linework on some of the character faces seems poor at times. That said, the fight sequences are pretty stellar in comparison, so it’s hard to say what’s what. Also worth mentioning is the giant spider Xath, which looks amazing and scary.
 
 
All in all, this was a decent mini-series that I might re-read someday. As such, I’d like to give it a 7 out of 10 rating.
 
This mini-series has never been collected and is only available in single issues. I found the first issue new on Amazon for $7 including shipping, or the entire series on eBay for $20-25 ungraded. At the time of this review being published, no CGC-graded copies were available that I could find.
April 18th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: A Dragon, An Ancient City & The Return of Jenna

REVIEW: A Dragon, An Ancient City & The Return of Jenna

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Countdown to Conan, a series ringing in the return of Robert E. Howard’s popular Cimmerian to Marvel Comics. We’ll be reviewing issues of Marvel’s original Conan the Barbarian series weekly. This is a review of Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #8.)

By WALLY MONK – PM Library Editor

This issue once again ties into Robert E. Howard’s work directly, but it isn’t connected to anything that was finished during the author’s lifetime.

“The Keepers of the Crypt!” is adapted from a small segment of a story called “Tha Halls of the Dead” which was later finished by prolific Conan author L. Sprague DeCamp. It was published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1967. 

After Marvel’s adaptation, Dark Horse Comics would produce their own version of the story, which took place in their own issues of Conan #29-31.  Here, we see Conan in the type of adventure our Cimmerian handles best – we’re treated to a dragon, an ancient city, hordes of treasure, and the return of Jenna, who we last saw leaving the barbarian while he slept and taking off with his golden heart in Conan the Barbarian #6.

This is one of my favorite issues during the Windsor-Smith and Thomas run on Conan. Not only does it begin to really thread all of the preceding issues together, but it continues to built an ongoing storyline.

Perhaps – and I leave it to you to decide – Jenna was Conan’s first “real love” before Belit, Queen of the Black Coast. They certainly have behaved like a real couple since their first encounter!

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #8

Conan is on the run. Last issue, we saw the Cimmerian break into the House of Relics in Numalia, and the powers-that-be were not happy. A group of Corinthian mercenaries are in hot pursuit of the Cimmerian, and Conan is hiding at the top of a cliff, watching the mercenaries pursue him below.

It seems Corinth has an alliance with Nemedia (the country in which Numalia resides). Captain Burgun, the leader of the group, explains that “when our neighbors cry fox, we look to his hen-house!” Conan is no fool, and finding some loose boulders at the top of the cliff, rolls them down on the unlucky mercenaries, killing all but Captain Burgun. 

Burgun is ready to do battle with the barbarian – but suddenly recognizes Conan from a battle years ago, where Conan fought with the Cimmerians against his men from Venarium. He says that he would have killed Conan then, but left the Aquilonian army and wound up with the Corinthian mercenaries.

Talk is cheap, and Conan easily defeats Burgun, leaving him for dead.   As Conan continues on his journey, he finds an old walled city which appears to be abandoned.

Once inside, Conan sees the ruins of what apparently was an ancient civilization! But the streets are empty. Many buildings are in shambles, and he soon discovers why. A large dragon – which actually looks more like a desert lizard or Gila Monster – senses Conan’s presence and moves to the attack. Conan looks for higher ground, knowing that he can’t defeat this dragon with just his sword and his skills. 

Conan begins to lob rubble into the beast’s open maw. And as it rolls over in pain and agony, the barbarian comes down from the high ground to finish it off.

Having made short work of the gila monster-dragon, Conan begins to scope out the city further. It is truly abandoned – but Conan spies a temple further off in the ruins, and where there are temples, one can find treasure!

It doesn’t take Conan long to find his way to the temple – where he is suddenly taken off-guard by Captain Burgun! Whether he feigned death or wasn’t seriously wounded we don’t find out, but he’s ready to finish his Cimmerian adversary off for good. Perhaps battle-weary or just tired of Burgun’s banter, Conan reminds him that there may be more dangers lurking. The two agree to an uneasy truce as they enter the temple in search of treasure.

As they expected, the temple contains more jewels than the pair could imagine, in a room guarded by  long-dead warriors. Of particular interest to them both is a statue of a jade serpent. Both want it, so instead of facing off with swords, they decide to cast lots for the winner. But as Conan wins the die roll and takes his prize, the undead guardians begin to animate.

Can Conan and Captain Burgun defeat these ancient guardians? Will Conan make it out of the temple with the treasured jade serpent? And where is Jenna, anyway?

CAPSULE REVIEW: This was an excellent read and a fun issue. The fact that the Corinthians are looking for Conan begins to build on the reputation that the barbarian will have throughout his career as a reaver and a slayer – we see here that he’s wanted “dead-or-alive” by two different kingdoms. We’re also treated to a flashback of Conan’s past, when he met Captain Burgun years before. The captain remembers Conan as being so savage that Burgun tried to cut through his own men just to take out our Cimmerian!

We see lots of action in this story, but the action takes place along with witty and clever dialogue. It’s interesting to see Conan playing a dice game to see who “won” the jade serpent – perhaps Conan had a clever plot to take it anyway if he had lost? Windsor-Smith’s artwork is once again top-notch if not a little campy at times and it seems like Roy Thomas had fun with the banter and beginning to tie threads together from previous stories. I’d rate this issue a 7.9 out of 10. 

On eBay, CGC graded 9.0-9.2 copies ranged from $95-$129.95. Ungraded copies sold for much less, as low as $8.00 buy-it-now in G/VG condition.

April 16th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: A Bowl, A Governor’s Niece & A Gift from Set

REVIEW: A Bowl, A Governor’s Niece & A Gift from Set

(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) #7.)

By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

Conan should really stay away from women. They get him into trouble. Depending on your viewpoint, though, it could be Conan’s libido that gets him into trouble instead.  
 
Seven issues into Marvel’s Conan, he’s been nearly sacrificed to the Star-Stone so a woman could remain with her wizard companion (#1), taken into slavery because he followed a woman into a trap (#2), encountered an evil wizard and elder god (the wizard’s daughter – in love with Conan – is an antagonist, too) (#5),  had has gold melted into a heart by the flirtatious Jenna (#6) and in this issue, we see the pattern repeat once more. 
 
Conan the Barbarian #7 is an adaptation of “The God in the Bowl,” a Robert E. Howard story that first saw print in Space Science Fiction in 1952, long after Howard’s death. It was reportedly rejected for publication in Weird Tales, the publication responsible for printing much of his work.

 

The story, when published the first time and subsequently, was edited by L. Sprague DeCamp, an author credited for largely helping to bring Conan into the mainstream. Apparently, there were some controversies over his editing of Howard’s original story, but I am not knowledgeable enough of Robert E. Howard’s work to elaborate on that in this review.

Sources indicate that in later re-printings of the story (after 2002) the work was unedited and reflected Howard’s original tale.

Review of Conan the Barbarian #7
Once more, our favorite Cimmerian is on the road. This time, Conan is headed down the Road of Kings and close to the great city of Numalia. Author Roy Thomas points out that Numalia is the “second greatest” city of Nemedia, and that Nemedia is the “second greatest” kingdom in all of Hyboria.
 

Wolves have chased down what appears to be a lone woman on a chariot, and her cries for help have brought Conan to the rescue. Quickly dispatching the wolves, Conan is surprised by the rudeness of the woman whose life he just saved. He calls her a wench, and her response is simply to tell Conan to “right her chariot” and she’ll be on her way. When Conan flips the chariot back onto its wheels, a body is found underneath. “Oh, that’s just my driver,” she quips.

The lady’s sharp tongue continues, as she informs Conan that he will now “escort her to the city” of Numalia. When Conan says that he’s never driven a horse and chariot before, she informs him that it’s a good time to learn.

Upon arrival in the city, Conan’s poor chariot driving gets him into an accident – he damages the wheel of another chariot driven by Kassian, the merchant who owns Numalia’s Hall of Relics. After a run-in with the merchant and the head of the city guard, Dionus, Conan is excused when the men realize who Conan is accompanying – she’s Lady Aztrias, daughter of the Numalian governor.

Knowing that Conan is a thief, Lady Aztrias tells Conan about a group of Stygian men who arrived that morning, bearing a great sealed bowl to the Hall of Relics. They were instructed that the bowl was a “gift” for the high priest of Ibis, Karanthes, and the bearers of the gift must remain nameless.

Anyone even remotely familiar with the world of Hyboria and Conan knows that nothing good comes out of Stygia, so this should immediately set off alarm bells for the reader. Lady Aztrias, of course, wants Conan to steal what’s inside the mysterious bowl thinking that it’s going to be highly valuable.

As Conan breaks into the Hall, he’s frightened by one of the first things he sees – it’s a stuffed Elephant, and we’re immediately treated to a “flashback” to Conan #1. It’s great to see writer Thomas connecting Conan and developing a continuity to his stories. The barbarian believes, in the darkness, that he’s stumbled again upon Yag-Kosha, the elder creature.

 
As Conan continues through the hall, he discovers an even more frightening surprise. Kallian, the great merchant and purveyor of the Hall of Relics, lies dead. Even more disturbing is the unlocked bowl, which now lies open and empty on a dais. A guard rushes in – catching Conan with the merchant’s body.
 
 
Will Conan be held accountable for the murder? And what was in the mysterious bowl? Did a thief beat Conan to this treasure, or is something darker lurking in the Hall of Relics? And where is the giant snake-thing that appears on the cover of the comic book?

 

 
 
 

CAPSULE REVIEW:  It’s difficult to criticize the early work of Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith because so much of it constitutes comic book legend and is truly the beginning of a new genre in the industry. Although this issue was good, it wasn’t one of my favorites in the duo’s fabled run. It shows Conan as sort of a buffoon who will do anything at the behest of a lady, even one who treats him poorly. I might guess (just a hypothesis) that the unusual nuances to Conan’s character in this story might be one of the reasons why Weird Tales passed on the original?

I’d rate it a 6.9 out of 10. This is particularly sad, because this issue (SPOILER ALERT!) features the first appearance of Conan’s adversary Thoth-Amon.

In later stories, Conan is not afraid to tell people exactly what he thinks and is pushed around by no one. Here, it’s “Conan fix my chariot. Now drive me into the city. Now steal this fabled relic because I know you’re a thief.” The Cimmerian we see in this story seems very un-Conan to me, and it rubs me the wrong way, detracting from enjoyment of the tale.

The art is great, and I know I am beginning to sound like a “broken record” in my reviews, but Barry Windsor-Smith’s artwork is – without question – universally good during his run on Conan.

This story is as close as Conan comes to detective noir, Hyborian style. And while it’s an interesting read, I’d rather keep this one in my collectibles box.

On eBay, as of this writing, a CGC-graded 9.6 copy was available with a buy-it-now of $226.88. A slightly lower CGC-graded 9.4 was for sale for $149.95. An 8.5 CGC-graded copy was listed with a $59.95 price tag. Ungraded copies seemed steady between $20-$40.

As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk)