The Savage Sword of Conan #10 - Marvel

Feb. 1976 - I can't let any week of new posts go by without looking at an issue of Savage Sword of Conan--they're just too fun.

Sure, you pretty much know what's going to happen before you even open it up (Conan will kill a bunch of guys, try and steal some stuff, nail a couple of wenches), but its the endless variations of the formula that, to me, make it so much fun.

This issue is the final chapter of Roy Thomas' adaptation of the Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon, by Robert E. Howard. It opens with Conan entering the town of Khemi, in pursuit of a Stygian priest named Thutothmes:

During his quest, within moments of getting off the boat, Conan runs afoul of a giant, man-eating snake, who he manages to stab to death after it attacks.

Instead of being grateful he has dispatched of the giant monster, the townspeople start throwing rocks at Conan, calling him a blasphemer for killing one of the sacred creatures! Conam runs off, calling them "Damned fool snake-lovers!"

Conan resumes his search, and has to sneak into a giant chamber, filled with many rooms. To do so, he grabs one of the masked men striding the halls, and pretends he's one of them. There's a great, tense sequence where Conan tries to bluff his way past a guard:

Conan makes his way past (after introducing the guard's skull to a giant stone wall), and of course he then meets his pre-requisite gorgeous wench, dressed in...not much:

These scantily-clad women, as drawn by John Buscema, haunt my dreams. Isn't she even a little chilly in that outfit?

The girl offers to help him find Thutothmes, but not first without trying to bed Conan (of course!). Conan demurs, keeping his eyes on the prize. Good thing, since we learn that the girl is a vampire!

He fights her off, but before he can finish the job he finds the room cloaked in darkness. Later, he finds his way to main chamber, where he sees his target leading a ritual to bring back the dead!

The story also involves the attempted rejuvenation of the lost city of Acheron, and we get a creepy flashback showing some of the dark arts performed there:

We meet another crazy wizard type, named Xaltotun, who is told Conan is dead, but he doesn't believe it. No, Conan and his gang are on their way to the former location of Acheron:

Already there, Xaltotun prepares a human sacrifice, and we see some loathsome demons carrying a busty, scantily-clad woman, tied up and reading to be offered to the gods.

Conan and his army interrupt this, and a giant battle ensues. As good as Buscema was at battle scenes (and he was very good), I also love little panels like this one:

...that's just a great, straightforward portrait, full of characterization. I love the perfect balance of lights and darks. I wish Marvel had made this one of their Marvel Value Stamps, its such a great little shot.

The battle continues, and Xaltotun ends up on the business end of Conan's sword (as so many have). Conan rescues the girl, and prepares to take over, installing an imprisoned girl named Zenobia as queen:

In addition to this story, there's a Conan text piece called "Conan the Cannibal", some pin-ups, and a really interesting article showing how Conan was portrayed in other formats:

I thought this was neat stuff. The article only ran three pages, but I could've read a lot more!

The cover is by Boris Vallejo, making for one fine package. All this for a buck!




Today's Angelique Trouvere glossy up for grabs, a more appropriate shot considering we've been talking about Conan: