Vengeance In Asgalun!

Sadly, Marvel lost the license to the Conan the Barbarian property before they finished getting all of the first Roy Thomas storyline in between some Epic covers in fresh new color. A few more volumes would've done it. But beggars cannot be choosers. I'll enjoy what I have. 

As I read the Conan stories this time, I consulted the recent book by Roy Thomas where he once again illuminates from his perspective how those stories came to be shaped and how they fitted into the larger Marvel publishing scheme. It was a hectic time for comics in the early 70's and the eventual success of Conan the Barbarian helped shape it to no small degree. 

Roy goes to great lengths to explain that the story of Belit which is revealed in the issues of Conan the Barbarian which feature her are exclusive to the comic book. Nowhere in the single story by REH is anything suggested about her being of royal blood, but it's a natural assumption. Giving her a reason for her plundering the seas in order to gain wealth to win back her throne and gain vengeance on those who killed her father was a sufficient fuel and explains nicely her aggression. In issue seventy-two she and Conan head to the city of Asgalun to find a medicine for her mentor and they also learn that Belit's father might be alive and held captive in Stygia. 

A few disaffected corsairs stage a revolt and force Belit and Conan to take them to the secret location which holds the assembled riches. But Conan is able to turn the tables with the help of an extremely aggressive toad monster from the depths. Ernie Chan is finishing John Buscema's pencils through these issues and the book looks fantastic. Apparently Buscema didn't like Chan's inks nor according to Roy did he like Alfredo Alcala's. There is little better than pure John Buscema, but the teaming of he and Chan and Alcala were true highlights of the comics at this time. 

Things get complicated as Conan and Belit scheme to get to the Stygian city of Luxor but to do that they have invade the interior of Stygia which means going up the river. And that proves quite dangerous for a host of reasons, not least of which is a not insignificant sea monster. Roy says he wanted to evoke that classic King Kong feel with this monster. 

Things get further complicated when Belit and a slave girl who is guiding them are snatched by warriors riding giant hawks. The artwork is stellar as Buscema and Chan team to render these amazing fights in the air. 

Roy says the Hawk-Riders' distinctive headgear was inspired by Hawkman, his favorite Golden Age superhero. I have to agree, that few superheroes look as awesome as Hawkman when he's drawn by the right hands. 

The battle rages as Conan fights his way into the city to rescue Belit and their guide. The Stygians aren't used to fighting Cimmerians, especially pissed off ones. There is a great deal of castle intrigue in these issues as the story unfolds. Roy says in hindsight he saw the Conan-Belit saga as something of a novel and this is just one chapter. 

Conan finds himself in a deep recess with a giant man. The man, a trusted Stygian warrior has been affected by the "Starstone", a meteor which he carried back to his leader and which is responsible for the growth of the giant hawks, with which the ruler wishes to take over Stygia and more. Conan is able to win something of a truce with this giant who suffers mightily from the effects of the rock from space. 

Roy admits that the inspiration for the "Starstone" was the Lovecraft tale "Colour out of Space", which is one of HPL's very best. In that story a meteor lands on a remote farm and the radiation wreaks havoc on nature and the people who live there. Getting a taste of sci-fi into a Conan tale was risky perhaps, but I love that story and like how the idea is carried forward in these comics. 

Issue seventy-eight is a reprint of the Conan story from the debut issue of Savage Sword of Conan in which he teams up with Red Sonja. This is the first time this story, originally intended for inclusion in the Conan the Barbarian run gets a treatment in color. 

As evidenced by the use of the reprint in issue seventy-eight, the always present "Dreaded Deadline Doom" was descending on the color Conan comic and so a three-part tale drawn by Howard Chaykin was pulled from The Savage Sword of Conan, modified by Ernie Chan and slated for three consecutive issues of the color run. This story which adapts the El Borak story "The Valley of Iskander" is not all that great. Conan's role feels forced and the whole idea of Alexander the Great slipping into the Hyborian Age even for a short time rankles me. There's no end of action in this off-the-cuff trilogy, a sure sign the characterization is off. 

John Buscema was still called away and so Howie Chaykin gets the nod for two more issues, this time adapting "Black Canaan", a modern horror story by REH which is laced with racist terminology. As it was originally set in the American South that makes sense, at least in terms of setting but still it's a fussy thing when projected into a whole new arrangement. Again, Conan seems out of character, more reckless than normal, doing things because the plot requires they be done and not arising from some necessary aspect of who he is. Since meeting Belit Conan had been a bit more reserved and responsible, but in these stories he seems to have less regard for his safety than makes sense. 

It seems Roy Thomas was a fan of Mandrake the Magician and his loyal ally Lothar. So when it was time to introduce a new character into the Conan mythos who just happened to be a magician, Roy looked back to Lee Falk's creations for inspiration. 

The result of Zula, who as the cover blurb announces is a "swordsman and sorcerer", a blending of Mandrake and Lothar into a single dynamic hero. Zula is a slave as this story begins and soon enough Conan and he are together in the dungeon of the king who has betrayed the Cimmerian and Belit who has already had to flee the city. But Zula and Conan escape and fly away on the giant hawks. 

The next issue is largely a series of flashbacks as we are reminded of Conan's mission and his battles over the last many issues and later we learn of the history of Zula who it turns out is the last of his people the Zamballahs. He was the prisoner of a sorcerer in the City of Magicians and now seeks Conan's help in returning there and wreaking his vengeance. He and Conan work out a deal where Zula helps the Cimmerian and then he reciprocates. 

They travel to Luxor where after many twists and turns they enter a deadly tomb and surprisingly find Belit in a casket ready to be consumed by the monster which regularly munches on the deceased from the city. A furious battle and the three of them escape, but just barely. It should be noted that the team of John Buscema and Ernie Chan are in top form with Buscema having returned a few issues earlier. I love this particular Buscema cover. 

But he gets a break when the editors decide to insert another classic black and white tale from The Savage Sword of Conan, this time with color. It's a so-so story with decent artwork by Tony DeZuniga which pits Conan against a strange mob of almost-humans on a mountain top. It's all he can do to rescue the daughter of an enemy, but you know how Conan can be. The balance of this issue is taken up by a new piece by Roy and  Ernie Chan which summarizes the history of the Hyborian Age. 

Sadly, this Marvel Epic run concludes with issue eighty-eight in which we find Conan at long last reunited with Belit and together with Zula they seek to attack the King of Stygia who sent Belit to her doom to begin with. But the worm has turned and the slave girl who has been helping them turns out to be the sister of the King and untrustworthy to boot. The story ends with Belit learning that her father might well be dead after all. The next step is unclear. 

As usual this volume includes some extras such as the wonderful cover to Conan's second Treasury edition. He will prove a popular choice for this oversized format with at least two more issues. Conan had become at this point in the late 1970's one of Marvel's best-selling features. The Savage Sword of Conan was successful, and Marvel was able to market the character in many ways. Roy Thomas mentions how Marvel wished always to find ways to integrate the Cimmerian's world with the larger Marvel Universe, but Roy properly resisted. Thomas and the artists such as Windsor-Smith, Buscema, Chan, Kane, and others had worked to create a thoroughly realized version of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age. It was not the one exactly like the short stories and novels, but it was a compelling place to visit, nonetheless.

I will continue my reading of the first Roy Thomas tenure on the book, though I have no plans to report on those issues here. This marks the end of the road as the end of month and the end of the year looms. More Conan content arrives tomorrow and the next day, then prepare for something completely different. 

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