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Posts Tagged ‘Robert E. Howard’

July 23rd, 2019 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews 2 Comments »

REVIEW: Conan Faces the Man Crabs of the Dark Cliffs!

“At sea far too long, the crew of the Tigress spies an opportunity to seize some potential treasure from the black cliffs dotting the coast. Once inside the caves, they find imprisoned men who are at the mercy of walking devil-crabs who might be even more intelligent than our Cimmerian and his entire crew! Will our hero and his Shemite she-pirate survive?

(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, #99. )

By BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

“The People of the Black Coast” was adapted by Roy Thomas as the “Devil-Crabs of the Dark Cliffs”, the penultimate chapter in his telling of the “Queen of the Black Coast”. Curiously, the story was called “Man-Crabs of the Dark Cliffs” on the cover, something I suspect was a result of Thomas not quite deciding on the final title until the last minute and signals getting crossed. Regardless, it’s a solid adaptation.

Roy Thomas was very adept at re-purposing Howard’s non-Conan prose and making it fit the Hyborian Age. His principle goal in doing so, rather than simply creating works from his own imagination, was his desire to maintain the integrity and majesty of Howard’s words.

As a fan of the man’s writing style, by mining non-Conan tales Thomas was able to create a consistency in the title, by keeping the flavor and vocabulary congruous.

Having Buscema and Chan along for the majority of the ride didn’t hurt either. By having such stalwart illustrators on hand for the vast majority of the run, there was a common thread throughout. Conan always looked like Conan. The landscapes, architecture, and fashion carried over from issue to issue.

It was easy for Thomas to adapt a story from a modern or historical setting into the Hyborian Age because Buscema and Chan were going to provide an artistic continuity, thus allowing Thomas to make subtle changes to the story to make the whole thing come together into something that stayed true to Howard’s imagination and creative sensibilities.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #99

The crew of the Tigress is growing restless. They are undermanned and have been at sea overlong. Belit is stubborn and dark of mood. She insists on staying at sea against the advice of Conan and N’Yaga.

A ship is spied, moored beneath the legendary Dark Cliffs that gave the Black Coast its name. The crew boards the vessel and finds it abandoned, though there are remnants of a treasure having been carried in its hold.

Belit believes the treasure must have been taken into the cliffs and hidden there and so organizes a search party, delving into a nearby cavern. Once inside the cliffs, following Conan’s lead, they discover a colony of crab-men hauling the treasure chests into their cavernous lair.

The Cimmerian espies several sailors imprisoned in crude cells. Conan sneaks forward and speaks with their captain, an Argosean named Florannus, through a barred window.  Florannus explained how the man-crabs drew them to the cliffs by reaching into his mind and planting the suggestion there. Once captured, his crew had been experimented on by the man-crabs, who are very intelligent, maybe even more-so than humans.

Conan uses brains and brawn to free the sailors by cobbling together a make-shift rope of their clothing, tying it from the bars of the cell to a huge boulder that the Cimmerian then sent toppling over the cliff edge, bringing the prison wall down with it.

Belit, of course, will not leave without the treasure. As they make their escape, they are besieged by the man-crabs. Conan takes the battle to them and starts a rock-slide to slow the creatures. Both crews come together, dislodging a giant boulder that breaks through the cavern floor to the boiling hot steam tunnels beneath the cliffs. The man-crabs are roasted alive.

Crab legs, Hyborian style.

Belit agrees to let the Argosean crew sail away, even splitting the treasure with them. Conan thought this seemed out of character, but she explained that their bounty would encourage more ships to sail their way, and they would be ripe to be plundered.

Conan nearly faints, suspecting the weakness was caused by one of his injuries, though N’Yaga is concerned. The Cimmerian shrugs it off then Belit, seeing the Argosean ship sail over the horizon, calls on them to return to the man-crab lair to recover the remaining treasure.

Roy Thomas’ epic adaptation of Queen of the Black Coast concludes next issue.

CAPSULE REVIEW:  As one expects, this is a finely told tale in keeping with the general consistency of product from the team of Thomas, Buscema, and Chan. As a kid, I was turned off by the devil-crabs, finding their design somewhat off-putting, but now, decades later, I find them adequately alien and fearsome.

The artwork is fluid, the action well thought out, keeping the flow of the narrative clipping at a fevered pace. There’s little room to catch a breath as the story propels the reader forward and on edge.

One of my chief complaints with “modern-era” comics is the hollowness of the account. This issue is meaty. Even as you’re led forward, the story has weight. While the pace is break-neck, at the end, you feel like you got a complete story, something that is rarely the case in more recent offerings.

As the centennial issue looms, this was a perfect breather, albeit a frantic one, before the double-sized majesty of the Queen of the Black Coast’s tragic conclusion.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue an 8. On eBay, this issue generally is available for less than $10, and as low as $5.

Alba Gu Brath – Bob Freeeman (aka The Occult Detective) 

July 19th, 2019 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews 1 Comment »

REVIEW: A Haunting Howard Poem Adapted For Conan

“It’s not land the Black Corsair spies from the crow’s nest of the Tigress, but a young woman, as beautiful as the light of dawn, standing in the middle of the ocean atop a giant lily pad. But is she a damsel in distress, or a siren with plans to lure Conan, Belit and their entire crew to a watery grave?”

(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) #98.)

By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

While Robert E. Howard is best known for his literary creations like Conan the Barbarian, King Kull of Atlantis and Solomon Kane, the Cross Plains, Texas native was also a prolific poet. Hundreds of different rimes are attributed directly to him, and many of them were published posthumously.

The poem on which this issue is based, “Sea Woman”, was written by Howard but didn’t appear in print until 1970 in the anthology Singers in the Shadows by Donald M. Grant Publishing in 1970. It would be printed again in Glenn Lord’s 1976 novel The Last Celt.

It’s a haunting lyric, and it’s one of my favorites, second only to Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee”.

The appeal of this simple yet well-written issue lies both in Roy Thomas’ prose and in the art team of Buscema/Chan/Roussos. The siren trope is an old one, yet the art and panel layouts make this story come alive in vivid reality – it’s almost as if you are caught in the siren’s web yourself.

This is one of my favorite issues of Marvel’s original Conan series, and a welcome and very different one-off story allowing fans to catch their breath before the ending of Thomas’ adaptation of “Queen the Black Coast” in two issues.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #98

One of Belit’s corsairs raises the alarm from the crow’s nest. Conan, expecting a ship to loot, is surprised at the cause for alert. Scribe Roy Thomas describes the scene in the water with a description unlike any you’ll find in modern comics. It’s not a vessel to be looted on the horizon, it’s a person in the water off the prow of the ship.

“A woman, azure of flesh, and with free-flowing hair the color of some radiant type of seaweed…a woman, young and fair of face and form, who must by all rights have been lost off some tempest-tossed and pirate-sunk ship…yet who stands silent and nearly un-moving as a statue atop what seems a huge, bobbing lily pad…a thing which seems like a poor lifeboat indeed!”

– Roy Thomas, Conan the Barbarian #98

As the crew of the Tigress stares in awe and shock at the woman, Conan prepares to offer an apology to the man in the crow’s nest, acknowledging that he understands how ones eyes might “play tricks on them” at sea. The barbarian suggests leaving the woman in the water, thinking her to be a witch – but N’Yaga believes that she should be brought aboard and that he senses no evil in her.

A crew of corsairs is dispatched to bring the sea-woman aboard the Tigress. She is mute, although she often opens her mouth as if to speak.

One of the corsairs tries to give their new passenger a piece of jewelry, as he is awe-struck by her beauty; she shrugs it off, immediately offering it to Conan instead. Belit is not amused.

The voyage of the Tigress continues, and the raid of a Stygian vessel the next morning doesn’t allow the crew time to think about their new crew mate until Conan wanders alone – or seemingly alone – above deck as night falls. The sea-woman approaches Conan seductively, but mustering all of his strength, he brushes the beauty off, making his way to his true love Belit to clear his head.

As the Cimmerian walks away, the mysterious woman turns her attention to a lone corsair named B’Tumi who has come above deck. B’tumi approaches the pale blue-skinned lass and she once more opens her mouth yet no words can he heard.

The next morning M’Gora announces that their crewmate B’Tumi is missing, and as the crew searches for him, the sea-woman continues staring contentedly out to sea.

The sea-siren tries the same thing with a different corsair named Asambi the following night, only this time, Conan is on hand to observe the seduction.

To the barbarian’s horror, the blue-skinned woman begins her silent song and dives into the sea. Asambi follows, only to be caught in the siren’s kiss, drifting lifeless to the bottom of the sea.

Now, the sea-woman turns her attention to Conan and he can hear the words of her silent song – the lyrics to Howard’s poem! Taking his knife with him, Conan jumps into the sea, following the siren’s call.

Will our Cimmerian succumb to the siren’s melody, and who is the mysterious woman who lures men to their death with a song that only her intended victim can hear?

CAPSULE REVIEW: Wow. Just…wow. The entire creative team hits a home run with this issue. That’s an odd thing to say, as one-off stories are normally frustrating and an unwelcome distraction from a good ongoing story line.

The Buscema/Chan team certainly knows how to draw beautiful women. In panels where Belit and the sea-woman are side by side, it’s clear that the newcomer is much more attractive than the she-pirate, and she’s drawn beautifully herself.

George Roussos is a master colorist. I have mentioned in previous reviews how he nicely creates variations in skin color for the different tribes along the Black Coast, and there is no deviation here. The blue shades of the sea-woman are subtle and haunting, creating an ethereal look that adds a mysterious element to the writing and the other illustrations in the book.

Interestingly, an equal amount of the comic’s strength comes from what can be read between the lines and the panels. Conan has made it clear in many different issues that Belit is his true love – yet he is tempted also by the sea-woman. His resistance and ultimate decision to dive in the ocean after her lends a certain credence to the strength and power of her seductive spell.

This is an issue of Conan – and one of the rare one-off stories – that should be in any Conan comic book collection. While not heavily promoted by collectors or particularly sought after, it’s a tribute to the quality of comic book writing and art from days long past. Do not miss it.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this issue a solid 9.5.

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

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

May 13th, 2019 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: The Origin of Zula, Darfarian Warrior-Wizard

REVIEW: The Origin of Zula, Darfarian Warrior-Wizard

“Not often are origin issues very exciting. Many times they serve to advance a plot mechanism or provide background. Such is the case in Conan the Barbarian #85, where readers learn the origins of Conan’s Darfarian companion. Created by Roy Thomas, the character has made its way into mainstream Conan movies and animated cartoons.”

(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) #85.)

By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

Often, famed Conan scribe Roy Thomas drew on Robert E. Howard’s source material to create comics involving the beloved Cimmerian. Many of the characters with whom our barbarian interacts were also drawn (sometimes loosely) from the Cross Plains, Texas author’s literary works. The Classic Conan Countdown has already examined one such character, Red Sonja, who was created ultimately by Thomas from the inspiration of somewhat similar Howard characters.

In the case of Zula, the dark-skinned warrior-wizard and last surviving member of the Darkharian tribe, the character is solely the creation of Roy Thomas. He will remain with Conan until his final appearance in Conan the Barbarian #94.

Zula is a Roy Thomas created Conan protagonist who appears in both Conan the Adventurer (animated series) and in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer.

Not limited to merely Roy Thomas’ comics, Zula also appeared as a character in Hollywood’s Conan the Destroyer film in 1984 (as a female version, portrayed by Grace Jones). The Darfarian warrior-mage also appears as a recurring character on the Conan the Adventurer animated series.

Conan the Barbarian #85 is a comic that really goes nowhere story-wise other than to catch readers up on the Harakht storyline (ongoing since Conan the Barbarian #75) and to tell the origin of this new character.

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #85

In Conan the Barbarian #84, our Cimmerian promised Zula that he would accompany him to Kheshatta in exchange for his freedom. In this issue, the two decide to become more familiar with each other’s roots since they are intended to be traveling companions.

Riding atop two giant hawks, Zula inquires about Conan’s history and current mission. The Cimmerian duly informs the Darfarian of all the events leading up to their current flight, beginning with the stories in Conan the Barbarian #75. This re-cap takes up nearly half of the comic.

Satisfied that he now knows something about Conan, Zula offers his tale. I will only offer a brief, toned down version here since this issue is actually very good and well worth reading.

Born of noble blood to a Darfarian chieftan, Zula is about to undergo a coming of age ritual when his tribesmen are brutally attacked by Kushite warriors.

Hiding in the tent reserved for those coming of age, Zula is enslaved rather than killed and eventually sold to a wizard named Shu-Onoru in Kheshatta, the City of Magicians. As the wizard’s slave, Zula learns some magical skills by observing the sorcerer at work. Shu-Onoru remarks that he does not need to “hide” his ritual rites because Zula is too stupid to know what he is doing. In the words of the wizard, “at least his kind are witless enough I won’t have to guard my spells from him!” Not cool, Shu-Onoru, you should learn to be a little more culturally sensitive and far more PC. But then again, this is the Hyborian Age…

Eventually, Zula is entered into a gladiator battle where he is forced to slay some members of a different tribe in order to stay alive. It’s at this point Shu-Onoru realizes Zula is too dangerous to keep docile and sells him again to a Khemi slave merchant named Sheb-At.

Zula’s plan, now freed, is to wreak vengeance on Shu-Onoru for his captivity, but Conan has a different idea – first, the barbarian says, Belit must be rescued. Incensed that Conan has broken his promise, the pair gets ready to do battle. Zula tells Conan that in order to head to find Belit, it will be over his dead body.

Closely matched in combat, the Darfarian eventually concedes to Conan, agreeing that Belit will be found first, at which time Conan will accompany him to Kheshatta.

CAPSULE REVIEW: This is a really good origin issue, and its well worth the price of admission. John Buscema’s combat illustrations are first rate, and this issue and the battle between Conan and Zula is no exception. While I normally write issues like this off as “one-offs” to advance a story, I would highly recommend adding it to your Conan collection.

At the risk of beating a proverbial dead horse, the whole concept of slavery in the Hyborian world is a difficult one to swallow, especially in today’s sensitive and far more enlightened society. But it’s important to remember that these are tales from another time – a time when different social mores, racism, cultural isolation and supremacy were common place.

Interestingly, this issue also tells the origin of Belit as part of Conan’s narrative, and I’ll take this opportunity to toss another cheap swipe at Marvel’s current Age of Conan: Belit mini series. Belit’s savagery comes from being raised by N’Yaga and growing up among the tribes along the Black Coast – it has nothing to do with any of the gobbledygook currently being spewed forth by Tini Howard and Kate Niemczyk in Marvel’s latest mental flatulence since the New Universe and the Spider-Clone debacle.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 7.5. On eBay, copies were available in large quantities for $10 or less. Both the art and the story are very good and this will make a worthy addition to any Conan comic collection.

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

April 17th, 2019 Crowdfunding, News 2 Comments »

NEWS: The Poetry of Robert E. Howard now on Kickstarter

Did you know that Robert E. Howard, HP Lovecraft and Edgar Rice Burroughs had a long list of poems to their credit in addition to their famous prose? I didn’t.

Thanks to artist Mark Wheatley, collectors and fans of these legendary pulp authors can get their hands on a lavishly illustrated hardcover book – one that focuses on the poetry of all three well-loved authors. It looks as if the publisher, ComicMix LLC, has three previous crowdfunding projects under their belt and this is their newest venture.

“Songs of Giants” is currently on Kickstarter with only four days left, and it’s fully funded and heading toward more stretch goals. Some samples of the illustrations found in the book are below:

“Songs of Giants” on Kickstarter

This monk has pledged at the $35 level, which includes the hardcover poetry book an an audio CD of “Edgar Allan Poe’s Haunted House of Usher”. I don’t know the artist or the project creator, but it looks like a project any Howard, Lovecraft or Burroughs fan shouldn’t miss. Remember, it ends in a mere four days so don’t miss out.

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

June 18th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: A Magic Sword, Toruk & A Duel to the Death!

REVIEW: A Magic Sword, Toruk & A Duel to the Death!

(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, #31. )

By DEAN PLAKAS – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

Set in a hilly, rocky countryside, we find Conan and the Turanian army, led by Captain Malthuz, ambushed by a local tribe of Hill-Men led by Hobar. Malthuz orders a hasty retreat to higher land, buying what’s left of his army and the Cimmerian some advantage.

In a foreshadow, Captain Malthuz is directed toward a delicately balanced rock formation for an escape route, but he points out that it’s too delicate a rock formation and that “one misstep” would cause the rocks to fall and bury them all.

Hobar of the Hill-Men proposes a challenge to Malthuz: champion versus champion to the death! If Hobar’s champion wins, the Turanian army dies. If he doesn’t, then they are free to leave unmolested. Malthuz senses Hobar is a man of honor and will keep his word, so Malthuz agrees to the terms. Malthus does, however, wish he had a magic sword to fight Hobar’s champion, a giant of a man named Toruk whom Malthuz will fight himself at the agreed upon time of sundown.

The comment Malthuz made about having a magic sword stirs memories in Conan from his youth. In a flashback, after running for his life and fighting a giant bear, Conan found an underground tomb. He came across a skeleton’s hand holding a skull-hilted magic sword protruding from “a giant man-carved slab of stone,” sort of like a landlubber’s version of The Lady of the Lake and Excalibur. Conan managed to pull the sword out of the skeleton’s hand only to discover evil magic attached to the weapon as he faced a frightening enemy – the giant shadow of Conan himself! Using light and fire, the Cimmerian managed to escape the tomb and decided not to keep the sword, throwing it back into “the gaping aperture for some less prudent soul to find…”

Conan doesn’t like the odds of Malthuz winning the battle, so the barbarian knocks him unconscious from behind. The reason is two-fold: Conan respects Malthuz, he might even like him, but more importantly Conan doesn’t want his fate in some one else’s hands. In a hard fought contest, Conan defeats the giant Toruk by positioning him under the aforementioned delicate rock formation and causing an avalanche of rocks by throwing his sword at it.

Between the flashback and the present story, writer Roy Thomas does a fine job by connecting the two into one. As Toruk dies, he releases his grip on his own sword – which turns out to be the skull-hilted blade Conan had thrown away in the flashback. As the Hill-Men depart, Conan walks away with the Turanians and with their lives intact, as promised by Hobar. Conan does not notice the blade leaving the hand of the dead giant, who turns out to be the “less prudent soul” he imagined in his youth when he tossed the sword back into the tomb. Just like when Conan fought his giant shadow for the magic sword and his life back then, he now fought for his life again against the same sword and left a giant in the shadows of his own tomb of fallen rock.

CAPSULE REVIEW: The cover is illustrated by two other artists from the Silver Age of comics – Gil Kane and John Romita. Kane drew Conan and Romita drew the shadow of Conan. Overall, it’s a fine cover, fully illustrated with marked texture but with a tight sense of spacing.

The splash page of this issue reminds me of the splash page of Conan the Barbarian #17, which is the issue with the title “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth,” illustrated by Gil Kane. It’s practically the same page, with bodies everywhere, the Turanians and Conan having to fight for their lives, this time together against the Hill-Men instead of each other. There’s even a face of a character at the bottom of the right hand corner calling for Conan’s death in both issues. In Conan the Barbarian #17, the character is referencing a battle axe. In this issue, the character is holding a battle axe.

Much of the lettering in captions is not needed for the flashback sequence, as John Buscema does a fantastic job telling an action packed story through his pencils alone. You’ll note that Buscema even draws a thinner Conan with the necklace and horned helmet that former Conan artist Barry Windsor-Smith orginally drew. It’s these subtle visual things that give the comic book the edge over a novella. Although…the homage to Smith would have been more apparent and complete had Ernie Chua (Chan) used finer inks and Glynis Wein used pastel colors in the flashback.

My final comment is also with regard to the lettering, in particular to the typo on page five. Captain Malthuz whispers, “Thouugh were you raised” it should be “Though where you raised.” I don’t mean to be picky, but his comment made no sense whatsoever until I realized it was a typographical error.

Lots of action, a well-structured story, great art, and even a tribute to Barry Windsor-Smith’s Conan from John Buscema. On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this issue a 9 (see our rating and review standards here.) On eBay, ungraded copies are available (depending on condition) for between $3-$15.

“And this story shall also be told.” – The Wizard in Conan the Barbarian

– Dean Plakas
May 30th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Red Sonja, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: Red Sonja, The Vulture & Conan Sends A Gift Box

REVIEW: Red Sonja, The Vulture & Conan Sends A Gift Box

“In this issue, we get the first glimpse of Red Sonja. Sonja, a creation of Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, was an amalgamation of two fiery females created by Robert E. Howard. Red Sonja’s complete origin would be told in the pages of Conan the Barbarian #24 the following month.”

(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) #23.)

By DEAN PLAKAS — Paint Monk’s Library Writer

Written by Robert E. Howard and loosely adapted by Marvel Comics scribe Roy Thomas, “The Shadow of the Vulture” is a landmark issue of Conan as it marks the debut of Red Sonja in Marvel Comics’ version of the Hyborian Age.

Created by Roy Thomas and Barry Smith, Marvel’s Red Sonja is based on two of Robert E. Howard’s creations: the pistol-wielding swashbuckler ‘Red Sonya of Rogatino’ (from his 1934 short story “The Shadow of the Vulture”) and the swordswoman ‘Dark Agnes de Chastillon” (from his short story “Swords Woman” published years after Howard’s suicide). Both Red Sonya and Dark Agnes are red-headed women with short tempers. They share similar origins in that they were both mistreated by men before they embarked on their lives of adventure.

Howard’s “Shadow of the Vulture” was published in 1934.

Red Sonya’s adventures are placed in the days of the Ottoman Empire, where she is the Polish-Ukrainian sister-in-law of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. 16th Century France serves as the background for Dark Agnes.

Both female characters are among Howard’s works of historical fiction, while Conan remains purely in the fantasy genre. In developing this mash-up of Howardian heroines, Thomas and Smith transposed their timelines thousands of years back to the days of Conan. Most of the melded character is the Red Sonya from the story on which Conan the Barbarian #23 is based.

A lawsuit in 2008 was settled with regard to copyright and trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition with regard to the Red Sonya and the Red Sonja names and characters.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #23

Marvel’s rendition of “The Shadow of the Vulture” is very similar to the original Howardian tale but with some major character shifts. Prince Yezdigerd and Conan the Barbarian are playing the roles of the Ottoman Sultan’s Grand Vizier Ibrahim and the knight Gottfried von Kalmbach respectively but in the Hyborian timeline.

In both versions of the story, Mikhal Oglu, the feared soldier known as “the Vulture” is charged with hunting down the hero and bringing his head to the arrogant antagonist. The Vulture’s fate is the same in both stories.

The tale begins as Conan steamrolls his way into the king’s palace in the city of Pah-Dishah. The barbarian is bringing a message to King Ghannif from his son-in-law Eannatum. Eannatum is the king of the besieged city of Makkalet and the husband of Melissandra, Ghannif’s eldest daughter.

Ghannif gives Conan a sack of gold for delivering the message and then entreats the barbarian to entertain him with stories of the barbarian life. Since arriving at the king’s court, the Cimmerian has been assaulted, insulted and threatened and he leaves abruptly without honoring the king’s request.

Conan is not prepared to regale the king with barbarian tales on this day!

Meanwhile, in Makkalet, Mikhal Oglu (the Vulture) pays Prince Yezdigerd a visit. Oglu is given the mission to hunt down Conan and to bring his decapitated head to Yezdigerd for scarring the prince’s face and other troubles the Cimmerian has caused. Oglu’s Turanian army tracks Conan down and razes the village where he has found comfort.

The barbarian tells his female friend Ivga that she is safe, but she is killed by an arrow intended for Conan. Stealing a Turanian soldier’s horse, Conan races back north to Makkalet (which he has been doing since issue #19, for Crom’s sake…) with the Vulture and his Turanian soldiers in pursuit.

Another one of Conan’s female friends meets their maker.

Exhausted, Conan’s horse collapses and the barbarian rushes to a door leading to the city of Makkalet with the Turanian horde just behind him. The door opens and out rushes an army of warriors from Pah-Dishah led by Red Sonja.

A warrior tries to get Conan to safety, but Conan refuses. His pride won’t let him sit out this fight, and his ego won’t let him sit out the battle while a woman fights it for him! He thanks her but she tells him no thanks are necessary – she is a paid soldier of King Ghannif of Pah-Dishah and doing her job.

As Sonja and her bowmen enjoy the evening with food and drink, Conan strolls the city at night and stumbles upon Queen Melissandra. He ignores her forced pleasantries for he knows she tried to have him killed.

As he continues his walk, he comes across spies of Prince Yezdigerd who are in the process of sending messages to the prince. Conan is knocked unconscious and tied up by the spies. He finds himself rescued again Red Sonja. After defeating the traitors in their midst, Conan sets a trap for Oglu.

The Vulture might be the best swordsman in Turan – but Conan isn’t IN Turan.   

In a locked room, the Vulture is confronted by Conan. He informs the Cimmerian that he is the best swordsman in all of Turan and our hero reminds him that they are not in Turan. Conan douses all light in the room and they fight in darkness. The next day amid celebrations at the Turanian camp, a messenger delivers to Yezdigerd a pretty package – containing the head of the Vulture.

CAPSULE REVIEW: It’s not every issue where a character is introduced who saves Conan twice in the same comic and ends up getting her own title. It’s also not every issue where three different inkers are used in the same book to ink one penciler’s work. This IS that issue.

The splash page is beautifully drawn with fine detail and background work by Barry Windsor-Smith; however, anatomically and composition-wise, Smith’s rendering of Conan on this page is questionable. As he is drawn on the page, Conan would have to be nine feet tall and all leg for him to have two full-grown guards between his legs trying to take him down, unless they are circus midgets, which they are not.

There is also a guard behind Conan running up the steps, but take a good look at the steps – they are the tiniest steps compared to the guard’s foot! Other visuals are better, like when Ivga is killed by an arrow after Conan told her she will be safe with him. Take a good look at the panel where she dies – his hands are covered with her blood – blood is literally and figuratively on his hands.

Other than Barry Smith himself, Dan Adkins was one of the best to ink Smith’s pencils. He was meticulous in his work, which was a blessing and a curse, for sometimes he wouldn’t be able to finish an issue in time for the deadline. This is one of the issues where Adkins didn’t ink it all – Sal Buscema and Chic Stone helped, and you can really see the difference in styles. Compare the fine linework of Adkins over Smith to the more broad embellishments of Sal Buscema and Chic Stone over Smith. You will also notice much less detail in the background, if there is background at all when Stone or Buscema have inked Smith’s pencils.

This brings us to the depiction of Red Sonja. In 2011, Red Sonja was voted Comics Buyers Guide “hottest fictional female” in comics but you never would have guessed that from her first appearance here.

Smith drew her very conservatively, with short red pants and a long-sleeved shirt made of chainmail and no gloves. The curvaceous, full-figured heroine in the bikini-style costume made of chainmail with matching boots and gloves – as she is most well-known – would never have been if not for Spanish artist Esteban Maroto (and later Frank Thorne) who redesigned her look and submitted to Roy Thomas. We’ve been indebted to them ever since.

With regard to Roy Thomas, hwoever, there is one thing that I find curious in his dialogue in this issue. He mentions Hell and the Devil. Crom! – Hell and the Devil were religious concepts that had not taken effect in the days of Conan. Unless Thomas transposed Hell and the Devil for this issue too…

On a scale of 1-10, I rate this issue an 8.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate this issue an 8 (please click here to our review guidelines.)

On eBay, this issue commands a hefty price as it is the first appearance of Red Sonja. Ungraded versions vary widely, ranging from $40 (in poor condition) to $180 (listed as near mint but ungraded.) At the time of this post, high (9.4 and higher) CGC-graded copies listed for sale ranged from $240-$600.

“And this story shall also be told.” – The Wizard in Conan the Barbarian

May 16th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews Comments Off on REVIEW: Pirates, A Shipwreck & An Unfulfilled Prophecy

REVIEW: Pirates, A Shipwreck & An Unfulfilled Prophecy

(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) #17.)

By DEAN PLAKAS – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

With the tale of “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” told in Conan the Barbarian #16, writer Roy Thomas adapted creator Robert E. Howard’s short story “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth” for the next two issues, namely issues #17 and #18.

Famed Conan artist Barry Windsor-Smith takes a hiatus on this issue, with Gil Kane taking on the pencils for both this story and the next.

The tale was written for another Robert E. Howard character, Turlogh Dubh O’Brien the Gael. Thomas replaced Turlogh with Conan as the protagonist in his adaptation of Howard’s story. We last saw an adaptation of another Howard Turlogh tale in Conan the Barbarian #3’s “The Grim Grey God.”

Fafnir the Vanirman becomes a recurring Conan character in this issue.

O’Brien’s antagonist Athelstane the Saxon has been changed into Fafnir the Vanirman, a man who looks more like Thor than Marvel Comics’ Mighty Thor himself, by Crom, and more than a match for our Cimmerian!

He’s also the same Fafnir who appeared in Conan the Barbarian #6, along with his friend Blackrat as part of Thomas’ version of Fritz Lieber’s “Fafhrd and Grey Mouser” duo. Blackrat is absent from this issue.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #17

There is great storytelling visually throughout the first scenes of this comic. The cover shows Conan in an extremely dangerous spot – he is trying to descend a ladder, carrying an unconscious maiden on his shoulder while deflecting a blow from a giant. The non-stop action continues on the splash page.

In the first six pages, there is a great sense of space and depth as the men on both ships fight to the death and then end up fighting once more for their lives against the reefs, the sea and sharks. The art clearly tells the story but dialogue is needed between Conan and Fafnir. The two are constantly fighting against each other, then helping each other, then fighting again. The dialogue lets the reader know why the two are behaving the way they are during cliffhanger after cliffhanger.

This continues throughout their time at sea and on shore until their blood lust is gone and Fafnir tires of a duel that is going nowhere. With conflict finally resolved, they find themselves rescuing a fair maiden as she runs for her life from the last of the lizard-gods, Groth-Golka.

Fafnir succeeds in breaking its neck where Conan failed. In an exchange of pleasantries, Conan promises to get Fafnir back home and Fafnir admits he would never have killed the beast had Conan not weakened it.

The maiden explains that the pair has arrived on the Isle of Gods and several of them are mentioned in the story. She introduces herself as Kyrie, the daughter of Rane the Reaver, a man Fafnir knew in his younger days. In Howard’s original tale, she is Brunhild, daughter of Rane Thorfin, son of the Orkneys whom O’Brien knew in his youth.

Kyrie tells them she was shipwrecked and found on the shore by the natives, who mistook her for Aala, the red-headed woman of prophecy who was meant to be their queen. Old Gothan, the high priest, soon realized she was not a savior ruler but a normal woman. He started a rebellion that exiled her to the other side of the lagoon on another island and he replaced the royal Queen Aala with a man named Ska, a puppet-king.

Kyrie promises the men riches and food if they help her regain her throne and tells them that the superstitious natives would believe her – another legend tells of two men who would come out of the sea and cause Bal-Sagoth to fall. She introduces Conan and Fafnir as those men foretold in the legend when they arrive at the palace. Here, we are subjected to old familiar themes of a lost person at sea, mistaken identity, and a hidden city – but at this point, you’re heavily involved in the story and dont’t care about common tropes.

Will Conan and Fafnir become the saviors of legend? And will they help restore Kyrie to the throne as Aala, the red-haired woman of prophecy?

CAPSULE REVIEW: There is no unusual placement of panels other than the splash page, where the bow of the ship breaks the panel and affects the lettering. Instead of the usual “Conan the Barbarian” we see “Conan the B–an”. Not a big deal if you’re familiar with the character, but for those who are not familiar, it’s a faux pas. Another peculiar lettering matter is the title. The title of in the issue is “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth” but on the cover it clearly states “The Devil-God of Bal-Sagoth” – so which is it?

The story is featured in its entirety in The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 2 by Dark Horse, but the compilation is in black and white. As much as black and white can set mood in a story, color really adds to visual storytelling if done right. Color aids in this story in particular, especially when there is danger and death involved.

For instance, on the splash page, the bodies at Conan’s feet as he rages on in battle are all red, implying they are dead or perhaps mortally wounded. When Conan dives into the shark-infested waters, the captions are colored red and the captions are also red when he cuts into a huge shark with his sword.

There are small inconsistencies that can really irk you in this issue. Conan’s hair, which goes from long and luxurious on the splash page and in the water, to a bob, back to long by the end of the issue. There is also the problem with Kyrie’s see through skirt, which disappers in some panels only to reapper around her waist in others. The biggest gaffe is at the end of the battle with the King’s defender, the heavily armored and aforementioned Vertorix. Vertorix smashes Conan’s sword, and the exhausted barbarian, who hasn’t eaten for some time. After the Cimmerian is saved by a distraction from Aala, the barbarian is still holding his sword as if it wasn’t smashed to pieces a few panels earlier.

As he did in Conan the Barbarian #12, our Cimmerian openly acknowledges once again his dream of being king, this time to Fafnir the Vanirman. We will discover if this is the kingdom of his dreams in the next issue.

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this issue a 7.0.

This issue was available readily on eBay for less than $10 for ungraded copies.

“And this story shall also be told!” — Dean Plakas

May 14th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews 2 Comments »

REVIEW: A Woman Wanders the Ice and Snow in Vanaheim

(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, #16. 

By WALLY MONK – Paint Monk’s Library Editor

In Conan the Barbarian #16, we’re given the comic book version of Conan’s oldest tale – oldest chronologically in the life of the character himself. In “The Frost Giant’s Daughter,” Conan is a young Cimmerian who is fighting with a band of Aesir in Nordheim, which is north of Cimmeria. 

This story, which is perhaps the shortest Conan tale I have read, is reprinted here from its original appearance in Savage Tales #1 (thank you to the observant reader who pointed this out!) and later re-written with new art by Dark Horse Comics in their Conan #4 (from 2004).

Interestingly, this short story was not accepted for publication during Robert E. Howard’s lifetime as a Conan tale. The original was rejected by Weird Tales magazine. For publication, Howard renamed the main character Amra of Akbitana. The story was published by The Fantasy Fan in 1934 under the title “The Gods of the North.”

The actual story as Howard had intended was not published until 1976 by Donald M. Grant, in that publisher’s book Rogues in the House.

Dark Horse Comics created their own adaptation of “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” for their 2004 Conan series.

What piqued my interest the most was that “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” was to be used in the sequel to John Milius’ 1984 Conan the Barbarian movie (Conan the Destroyer doesn’t count!) The screenplay, tentatively titled “King Conan: Crown of Iron” features the tale in its prologue. According to blogger Moriarty from the Ain’t It Cool blog in 2001, Conan meets Atali, the frost giant’s daughter just like the original story. However, in the film version, Atali becomes pregnant by Conan and their son, Kon, becomes an important part of the film. Moriarty’s post is a great read about John Milius’ second Conan script and can be found here.

The story in Conan the Barbarian #16 is a mere 13 pages – the remainder of the comic is a tale of Starr the Slayer, a barbarian who looks suspiciously like Conan and even sports his infamous yak helmet. I will not review the Starr story here, although it is a good read, too.

Review: Conan the Barbarian #16

A band of Vanir warriors lie broken and defeated. Alone in the snow, only two warriors remain. One is Conan, and the other is a red-bearded Vanirman. Locked in combat, the Vanir swordsman asks our Cimmerian his name so that he can tell his comrades who he killed in the epic battle.

Our hero, whose wit is always sharpest with a sword in his hand, responds that his name is Conan, and the man can tell the men in Valhalla his name instead. With that, Conan finishes the battle and runs him through.

As Conan wanders off, leaving the dead and the battlefield behind, he stumbles into the snow. Exhausted, cold and beaten down, he collapses in the snow. As he awakens, he sees a lovely woman – she’s hardly dressed for the weather, but she knows Conan’s name and bids him to follow her.

Conan, always one to fall hard for the ladies, becomes determined to follow this seductive woman and make her his own. Seemingly to taunt him, the woman (who we later learn is named Atali) is always three steps ahead. But the lust for this new lovely has gone to Conan’s head, and he has no idea he is being led into a trap – as Atali approaches two massive boulders, she calls to the frost giants hiding behind them to attack Conan.

Who is this woman? Why is she luring men to their doom at the hands of the frost giants? And will Conan make it out of this one alive? 

CAPSULE REVIEW: I have never read the original tale of “The Frost
Giant’s Daughter,” so I can only take this story at its face value, and a good story it is indeed. So much so that the folks at Marvel used Howard’s source material even though the story itself only takes up 13 pages of the comic book – and three of those 13 pages are splash panel introductory pages.

Roy Thomas’ writing is showcased here, and this issue can be used as a reference point for why his work on the Cimmerian is well-loved. The thirteen page story appears more as a fairy tale involving Conan than a
traditional story about the barbarian. As always, Windsor-Smith’s art is perfect to accompany Thomas’ scripting.

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

On eBay, this issue varies greatly in price. Ungraded copies have sold as low as $4.99 and as high as $45.00. CGC graded copies varied in price from $69.99 (8.5) to $335 (9.6) 

April 20th, 2018 Classic Conan Countdown, Reviews 3 Comments »

REVIEW: Hill-Men, The Great Tuskers & An Emerald Tower

(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) #9.)

By JOESEPH SIMON –PM Library Associate Editor

It should come as no surprise that Roy Thomas used Robert E Howard tales and source material to create Conan comic books. But sometimes, the stories being adapted don’t even feature Conan in the original writing (for more examples, see my previous review of Conan the Barbarian #3 or Wally Monk’s review of Conan the Barbarian #5.)

Robert E. Howard’s original story The Garden of Fear features a hero named James Allison. Allison also goes by a number of different names depending on the story in which he is featured. Howard wrote him as a young, sickly man in Texas during the 1930s. In various tales, Allison remembers what he believes are his past lives, where he is incarnated as different versions of mighty heroes. In The Garden of Fear, Allison remembers himself as Hanwulf, a wanderer.

The Garden of Fear and Other Stories is an anthology of fantasy and science fiction stories anonymously edited by William L. Crawford. It was a Crawford publication in 1949. In Roy Thomas’ comic tale, Hunwulf is replaced by Conan. Jenna takes the place of a secondary character called Gudrun.

Review: Conan the Barbarian (Vol. 1) #9

 

Conan and Jenna have traveled through a large range of mountains for many days and have just a clearing of lower ground. Here, they are attacked a least a dozen hill-men with rock and spears, knocking both Conan and Jenna off the horse carrying them.

As Conan struggles to gain the upper hand, the hill-men scare his horse away. For some reason, as the struggle is about to reach a peak, the hill-men stop. They are hailed by their leader from a ridge higher above.  Conan understands this, but is unable to understand their language.  He explains as much to Jenna, who says she is afraid. Conan retorts “whatever you do, girl….don’t show it” and cautions that if their luck is bad, these hill-men could turn out to be cannibals.

Conan and Jenna are led to an area of “two valleys with deep gorges walled off from each other by sheer cliffs, save for that narrow pass” which Jenna observes, pointing to the far gorge.

This gets a reaction from the hill-men leader, and now Conan believes there is something near the gorge the leader hates or fears. The group continues to the hill-men village where it happens to be a time of feasting! Conan and Jenna eat, and then the hill-men begin to dance. Conan throws himself into a “full frenzy” of the savage dance. Jenna does not. Thankfully, I’m sure, they are both relieved that the hillmen are not cannibals.

Once dancing is over, Conan and Jenna set off to part, with a priority of finding their horse. Conan must have been a great dancer, as the leader of the hill-men, Hialmar, gifts Conan with a rope, a knife, and flint to make fire.

Jenna wonders out loud if they might also have precious stones about. Conan cautions her to hide her greed, but she retorts that there is no harm in asking. Before Jenna can start to cause trouble, trouble finds her as something from the sky swoops down, making off with Jenna before Conan can identify the kidnapper. Conan asks what the creature could have been, but the hill-men turn their back on Conan, muttering one word – “Garakaa.”

The Cimmerian concludes that must be the name for something that lives in the area that Jenna had pointed out, the same area which frightened the hill-men. Conan figures out this sudden “kidnapping” might be a regular incident the hill-men have come to accept. Conan declares he won’t and rushes off to save Jenna.

Conan encounters giant elephant or mastodon-like creatures he calls Great Tuskers, who allow him to pass through their herd – and then he swims  through a mysterious river, all in his pursuit for Jenna , who was once again grabbed and stolen by a winged fiend.

Conan eventually find himself near a “fantastic green stone tower amid a field of tall, nearly colorless flowers and, assaulting the sense, a strange reek, a smell as of death and decay.”

Atop the parapet, Conan spies a tall, powerful, ebon-winged man who is obviously the one who kidnapped Jenna. When Conan first met Jenna, she was taken to a tower by giant bat like creature now, the situation has been repeated. It should give cause for concern, but Conan has no time to think of coincidences. As Conan is about to leap into action he hears a scream. The winged man-creature has a hill-man in his hands. The man is held like a child in the hands of winged figure.

The winged man, carrying the captive hill-man, flys out and away from the tower and drops the hill-man to the ground.

Conan then notices the clear-colored flowers on the ground are attacking the hill-man and soon Conan as well. Conan fights on as the hill-man is heard screaming. Finally, the barbarian finds a safe area and notices that the hill-man is screaming no longer and the flowers are now a deep red in color.

Conan tries to make sense of the surreal situation when he hears Jenna’s scream for help. He sees the winged creature, holding Jenna over the railing of the parapet. Jenna continues to cry for help and Conan, frustrated with his inability to rush to her aid cries out that he can’t. Unable to fly, Conan can’t get past the killer plants. Instead, he turns back to the direction from which he came.. The winged man must have thought that he had won this contest of wills, perhaps allowing Conan to live with his shame.

We know, that, of course, Conan has an idea. The first clue to that occurs when Conan returns to the Great Tuskers.

How will Conan save the day? Will Jenna be saved and if so, will she be more thankful and less argumentative?  Is she a magnet for flying evil creatures that have towers for homes? What happens to these towers after Conan kills the occupants? Only a few of these answers will be given in the conclusion of The Garden of Fear. 
 
What do you think, readers? I encourage you to share your thoughts 
in the comments section below! 
 
CAPSULE REVIEW: Earlier in the story, as Conan danced, Jenna wondered to herself how similar Conan was to the Hill-Men. Perhaps that is because she has never really travelled beyond her homeland! Conan’s quick thinking and resourcefulness in his attempt to save Jenna are actions that the hill-men could have taken to save themselves, but did not.

It is not much of a spoiler, but Conan does fight the winged man creature and the fight is very well-done. Barry Winsdor-Smith creates tension and suspense in his visuals of the fight to accompany the same, which is echoed in Roy Thomas’ words. I give this issue a 7.7 out of 10.

While there is some liberal straying away from the source material, Thomas does manage to keep it very close to what Howard intended for his hero James Allison.

This issue is reprinted in Conan Saga #3, Conan Classic #9 and Essential Conan the Barbarian, Volume 1.

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.