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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 23, 2016 14:15:19 GMT -5
Savage sword of Conan #200, August 1992 Cover by Joe Jusko Table of contents Barbarians on the border, starring Robert E. Howard himself! A short history of Conan, the origin of the Savage sword magazine The father of Conan; Glenn Lord on Robert E. HowardThis being the anniversary 200th issue of the mag, the inside back cover has a celebratory picture drawn by Dave Simmons.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 23, 2016 14:25:45 GMT -5
Barbarians on the borderScript by Roy Thomas Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan Issue 100 had seen no particular celebration, nor had issue 150 been marked in any way. Here Roy is not about to let the moment go, and uses this anniversary issue to present a story he had thought about since his first stint on Conan in the ‘70s; a story in which Conan the Cimmerian would meet (after a fashion) his own creator, Texan writer Robert E. Howard. Is this an actual Conan adventure? Is it an imaginary story that Howard is creating? It doesn’t matter. As Alan Moore said, “this is an imaginary story… aren’t they all? In any case, Barbarians on the border contains two stories that run in parallel : one in which Conan has a typical adventure with powerful warlords (King Yezdigerd himself), fantastic creatures (a giant bat like the one in CtB #6), a treacherous Zamoran lady and a wizard. In the other, Robert Howard faces a shady oriental man, a treacherous Mexican lady and border town thugs. The Howard segment is based on actual events, events that are magnified to turn them into a rousing story. We open with a great battle scene in which Conan is the sole defender left alive in a fortress that stood in the way of King Yezdigerd’s Turanians' advance toward the west. Yezdigerd is there himself, and he orders his pet wizard to use his magics against the barbarian. (Did he recognize Conan, his lifelong enemy? It’s not quite clear… the two don’t exactly have a conversation). Obeying his master, the wizard summons a giant bat that seizes Conan and carries him off toward the north and the land of Zamora. (The wizard mentions that Zamora is the beast’s place of origin, and from CtB #6 we know that there are indeed giant bats over there… They're even sometimes worshipped as gods). Meanwhile, or more precisely twelve thousand years later (give or take) in the future, in February 1932… Robert E. Howard is visiting San Antonio and the site of the Alamo. Having been stuck in a creative rut for a while, the young writer hopes a little sightseeing might give him a measure of inspiration. The young man reflects on the bravery of the men who died defending the old Alamo mission, and how their sacrifice allowed Texas to become what it would one day be. In a gun shop also dealing with antiques, the writer meets a distinguished gentleman from Calcutta, one who explains that he’s spent most of his life in China and saw many strange things there. The two men strike a conversation about politics and history, and seem to appreciate each other’s breadth of knowledge. Since he has no pressing business in San Antonio, a city he knows well, Howard decides to accompany the man on his bus to Mexico. During the trip, he is told more about the execution of countless Chinese Communists. Notice the headlines on the newspaper… All historically accurate, I’m sure. As for this meeting, it actually happened, albeit in a slightly different form (the Indian fellow having been accompanied by his wife in real life). In two letters to H. P. Lovecraft, Howard described the even thus : In the comic, Howard also turns a certain shade of green! “You know, Bob, you really do not look well”, says his companion. As Robert Howard travels by bus, so does Conan by bat. Approaching a Zamoran city with a high tower that seems to be their destination, the Cimmerian decides that it is time to stop being a simple spectator. Grabbing his knife, he stabs the giant chiropter repeatedly, causing it to fly lower and lower and to eventually crash. Even on the ground the beast remains aggressive, and Conan has to exert himself to finally lay it to rest. The journey is over, and the Cimmerian heads toward the closest tavern he can find. Twelve thousand years later Robert Howard bids farewell to his companion, Mr. Topi, and visits the local market. There he purchases a very large sombrero and a serape, before pausing in front of a local cantina. That sombrero is also a real thing; it was mentioned by Novalyne Price and was prominently shown in the movie The Whole Wide World. (It lacks its tassels, though). Just like his creator Conan reaches a drinking establishment, back in the Hyborian age. A serving wench offers him a drink, that he insists on paying. When local louts try to make fun of this foreign yokel, the Cimmerian shows them the error of their way (and one can assume that Robert Howard would have loved to do the same to the people he thought spoke ill of him behind his back in Cross Plains, Texas). Returning to his drink, the Cimmerian is met by a Vendhyan named Dharmi Shah (who looks pretty much like Mr. Topi). As the two men discuss wine and literature (after a fashion!) we see Dharmi Shah discreetly instructing the serving girl, Lylah, to drug the barbarian’s drink. Will the same fate meet Howard in the Mexican cantina? Enjoying an enchilada served by the beauteous Carmelita, the young writer overhears a conversation that is definitely suspect; something about smuggling and about bribing border guards. The trio of smugglers consist of Mr. Topi himself and two roughnecks. Carmelita turns out to be as treacherous as Lylah and she betrays Howard to the three men, accusing him of being a spy. Howard protests, since he was just there to have dinner. He is nevertheless manhandled and thrown out the back door of the saloon, where he is clearly to be stabbed so as to ensure his silence. Luckily, the young man is an able boxer and he manages to get a few good licks in before he falls into Los Olmos creek, disappearing from view. Howard was actually an amateur boxer, so this scene makes perfect sense. Did Carmelita mean for Howard to be murdered or did she just want to make a little money by looking after the interests of Mr. Topi? The same question might be asked of Lylah, who helps carry a drugged Cimmerian out the back door of the tavern where he met Dharmi Shah. There it is not two roughs with knives that await him, but a quartet of men with axes and swords! Lylah protests, saying she thought the stranger was just to be robbed. She need not have worried: even in his drugged state, Conan doesn’t waste time in turning his aggressors into shish-kebab. Dharmi Shah must use a handfull of lotus dust to bring him down. As Conan sinks into unconsciousness, Robert Howard emerges from the waters of the creek. His assaillants have left him for dead, and a certain sense of justice brings him to follow Carmelita, whom he suspects can lead him to Topi and his no-good accomplices. He’s not wrong, as the woman leads him to the shore of the Rio Grande where the trio discusses its plans. Howard would be better advised to let matters rest, thinks he, but “the blood of his pioneer ancestors is boiling within his veins”. Pushing a heavy wagon down a slope toward the criminals, he sends them sprawling like tenpins before jumping in himself, knocking them out with a few well-placed hooks. But he is then clubbed on the head by Carmelita!!! We return to Conan who wakes from his drugged sleep. He is in a sacrificial chamber up in the great tower he saw earlier, tied to an altar right next to a remorseful Lylah. Dharmi Shah reveals himself to be a wizard, and a colleague of the magician who serves Yezdigerd. Sending Conan to this city was no fluke; the Cimmerian was meant as a special sacrifice to the dark gods, a sacrifice especially pleasing because of the great destiny that the man could one day attain. This is an opportunity to give a brief overview of Conan’s career, something very well suited to this aniversary issue, and something I always enjoyed as a kid in the pages of Conan the barbarian. The incantations of Dharmi Shah are like a who’s who of the Howard-Lovecraft-Smith Weird Tales pantheon : Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Tsathoggua, Gol-Goroth, Kadath, Shub-Niggurath, Azathoth, Nodens… a really nice tip of the hat to Conan’s literary origins! As a monster starts to materialize, Conan manages to break his bonds (golden chains may look pretty, but they’re not that solid)! During the ensuing fight against a half-materialized horror, the Cimmerian succeeds in saving Lylah, killing Dharmi Shah and setting the whole tower on fire. Great action, ending with Lylah suggesting that Conan could now chase her all the way to her rooms! Conan’s laughter echoes through the night as we return to Robert Howard, massaging his scalp on the spot where Carmelita hit him with little effect. Chasing the woman up an abandoned water tower, he throws her down on the muddy riverbank, laughingly telling her that if this were one of his stories, the muddy bank would have been a cesspool! This is of course a reference to the Conan tale Rogues in the House, adapted in CtB#11, in which Conan does just that to his faithless ex-girlfriend Jenna. Stepping down from the tower, he realizes that an idea for a new character has just popped in his mind. “There was even a name… What was it again?” The vision soon vanishes, and we readers realize that none of the events that occurred since Howard entered the cantina happened; they were all the product of his imagination, as he decided whether to enter the establishment or not! But the idea remains, and once he’s back at home in Texas the young man starts typing. The rest is history; Conan is born. By Crom, I love that scene!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 27, 2016 9:20:35 GMT -5
Delete!
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 27, 2016 9:23:55 GMT -5
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 27, 2016 10:24:14 GMT -5
Blast! You had warned us about how close the "Edit" and the "Quote" buttons were!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 30, 2016 12:04:24 GMT -5
Savage sword of Conan #201, September 1992 Cover by Vince Evans, featuring a scene from this month's story. There are also several pin-ups by an artist who signs "Abrams". It could be Paul Abrams, an artist who was active in the 1990s. Only one story this month.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 30, 2016 12:18:51 GMT -5
SSoc #201 ------------ The man in the Iron Tower(a play on the title The man in the iron mask, one supposes). Script by Roy Thomas Art by M. C. Wyman and Dave Simmons This issue, like the preceding one, marks an interlude in the chronological telling of Conan's career as a Barachan pirate. We are treated to a pivotal moment in his life, and one which is filled to the brim with continuity references (all of them good). At the end of his fourth decade on Mitra's green Earth, Conan became a scout for the Aquilonians on the Pictish border. There he knew several adventures and quickly grew through the ranks thanks to his military successes, ending up a general. (See SSoC#26-27, adapting Beyond the Black River, as well as SSoC#46, adapting the pastiche story Moon of Blood). Over the years, many flashbacks or tales told after the fact would inform us that the popular general Conan from the Bossonian marches was eventually invited to the capital of Aquilonia by its jealous king, under pretence of celebrating his victories. In reality, King Numedides wanted to get rid of one he started to view as a potential rival. Conan would promptly be arrested, jailed and slated for execution, before a cabal of revolutionaries would allow him to escape. The fugitive would then cross the Pictish wilderness (as seen in The Treasure of Tranicos, SSoC #47-48), and right thereafter lead the revolt that would make him Aquilonia's new king (as covered in SSoC #49-52, adapting the pastiche novel " Conan the Liberator"). Today's issue shows us the story of Conan's arrest and escape from Aquilonia's gaols in detail. We also witness his first meeting with many of the characters who would later play an important role in his kingly career : Count Trocero, Prospero, the philosopher Alcemides, the treasurer Publius, the priest Dexitheus, general Pallantides, etc. We also encounter individuals who would play a major role in the Conan the Liberator story arc: the unhinged king Numedides himself, the wizard Thulandra Thuu, and even general Amulius Procas (a minor but noticeable character from Conan the Liberator). An appropriate reference is made to Count Trocero losing his daughter years before, an event we witnessed in Conan the barbarian #200. Nice continuity weaving by Mr. Thomas, here, and none of it feels tacked on or unnecessary. Dexitheus is drawn as he had been in Conan the king rather than as he appeared in earlier comics, but that's quite fine. I suppose he can wear his tiara when he likes. Besides, that look was designed by Dave Simmons, who inks this issue. The tale begins in the Bossonian marches, where general Conan says farewell to his troops after a new victory against the Picts; he is on his way to Tarantia, where he's to be treated to a triumph. Among his men is Flavius, whom we met in Moon of Blood ( SSoC #46). It doesn't take us long to realize that Aquilonia's king, Numedides, is a vainglorious and paranoid tyrant. He pretends to be friendly to his Cimmerian guest of honour, and Conan tactfully refrains from any comment that might be interpreted the wrong way, happy to play the role of the humble soldier. Probably a wise move when riding alongside a jealous king and the crowd is chanting "Co-NAN! Co-NAN!" and adding things like "would that you could save us from every bad thing that plagues Aquilonia". Among the perks of being a guest to the king is being cared for by a beautiful Nemedian dancer named Trommelind. It would seem that her first appearance in SSoC#48 (in a silent cameo, and no name given) made enough of an impression to warrant a return performance! Trommelind is covered with tattoos from head to toe. From SSoC #48 : Today : During a banquet in his honour, Conan meets his future friends and allies Trocero and Prospero, as well as the priest Dexitheus. Their words are sibylline but it seems clear that they are seriously considering a regime change in Aquilonia. A bit later, the philosopher Alcemides tries to warn Conan of the danger he's in because of Numedides's paranoia; but just as the Cimmerian would explain a few weeks later (as related in SSoC #48), he's too drunk to understand the full meaning of his companion's words. SSoC #48 Today The dancer Trommelind appears again to everyone's delight, but her obvious preference for the Cimmerian over the toadish Numedides proves to be her undoing. At the end of her dance, Conan keels over, partly because of the wine but mostly because of the drug that's been slipped in it. Numedides has him seized by his soldiers and thrown into the Iron Tower, that dreadful dungeon from which Conan would one day rescue Countess Albiona in Giant-Size Conan #3 (adapting part of "The hour of the dragon"). Trommelind, for her part, is ominously told that she will have "other duties" that night. Trocero and Prospero protest Conan's arrest, and denounce the influence that Thulandra Thuu now has over their the king. It is all to no avail and the king sends them away with threats. Knowing that some battles can't be won, Prospero gets his friend Trocero to back off and leave. When the Cimmerian comes to he is chained in a cell and is promptly visited by evil, gleeful goblins sent by Thulandra Thuu. The devils use illusions to taunt him and sap his morale. Adding to the destitute state of the barbarian is a visit by two guardsmen who announce that the king thought he might like some female company. The guards then throw something into his cell : it is, easily recognizable by its tattoos, the flayed skin of Trommelind. Conan is crushed but swears inwardly that he will repay the king for this obscenity, even if it takes all of eternity. As Conan awaits execution, Trocero, Prospero and Dexitheus have resolved to help him escape from the Iron Tower. They seek to hire mercenaries for this mission in a local tavern, and there encounter a surprising guest star : Valeria of the Red Brotherhood herself! Valeria seems down on her luck and has a few choice words regarding a certain lying and roguish Cimmerian, but she agrees to help her former lover; apparently she still has feelings for him. The she-pirate makes her way into the Iron Tower rather easily (the Aquilonians must be a little sloppy, not being in any state of emergency at the moment) and reaches Conan’s cell. The barbarian first attacks her, mistaking her for another of Thulandra Thuu’s illusions, but Valeria finds a way to convince him of her reality. The pair tries to make its way out of the tower and the crumbling adjacent buildings, and Valeria informs Conan that he owes his freedom to Trocero and Prospero. The first few guards who bar their way are quickly sent to Mitra’s heaven, but far away a sixth sense warns Thulandra Thuu of the Cimmerian’s escape. The wizard casts a spell that reanimates the bodies of the dead soldiers; these feral zombies attack Val and Conan anew. Not being capable of more than a general aggressive attitude, the animated corpses also turn on living soldiers from their own camp if given the opportunity; Conan therefore uses several amputated undead limbs to slow down the advance of an increasing number of Aquilonian pursuers. Valeria is badly wounded by a bite from one of the zombies. She tells Conan to leave her behind to slow down their pursuers, but the Cimmerian will have none of it; he knocks out the she-pirate and hides her under a slab of stone. He then leads the Aquilonians away and finally blocks their way by causing the collapse of an old and decrepit tower. He finally rides off towards the Bossonian marches, intent on coming back with loyal troops to take revenge on Numedides. Conan is declared dead by the king (a sudden fever, alas!) but the prest Dexitheus, who has some knowledge of the mystic arts, senses that it is untrue. He,Trocero and Prospero decide to track Conan wherever he might be and to make him the standard bearer for their rebellion. Notes : - This is the last time, chronologically speaking, that we see Valeria. Roy does a bit of continuity tweaking, here, essentially negating the existence of the “Dixonverse” Valeria (the promiscuous one who acted like an shrew most of the time and apparently didn’t remember meeting Red Sonja as a kid). A caption states that Conan and Val only met “once or twice” since the Red Nails storyline (adapted in Savage Tales #2 and 3), and I’m pretty sure that Roy includes the Don Kraar-written story “ Reunion in Scarlet” from SSoC #127 in there, as the Valeria it featured (a) was dressed as in Red Nails and today's issue, which wasn't the case for the Dixonverse Valeria, and (b) acted like the Valeria of old. Roy also acknowledges the storyline Island of Pirate’s Doom, from SS0C #73, 74, 76-79. That story was an adaptation of one of Howard’s own piratical tales, and since it featured a she-pirate Roy turned it into a Valeria story. The problem is that in that story Val sort of got engaged to a nice and not very Conan-like Argossean merchant, certainly not the type of match we expected for her. Here Roy has Conan remark “I heard a tale you’d taken up with some trader from Messantia but didn’t credit it. The Valeria I know would have eaten any mealy-mouthed merchant alive”. To which Val replies that she doesn’t want to talk about it. We are free to imagine that the pair didn’t stay together very long. - Numedides is one of the longest-reigning kings we've met in the Marvel Conan series : he was mentioned as being King of Aquilonia as far back as CtB #6, when Conan was a lad of 17. That would have been more than 20 years before this story. - Numedides was depicted as a younger man with long hair in a flashback sequence from SSoC #48; here he's shown as he was in SSoC #49-52. - I liked how Trommelind's plight is made apparent at one point, when she reflects upon Numedides's cruelty : "Could anyone possibly imagine that she had originally wanted all these tattoos?"
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Post by senatortombstone on Jul 31, 2016 20:37:44 GMT -5
Roquefort RaiderBless, you, RR, this is why I enjoy your commentary so much - you notice these sorts of things. The Dixonverse-Valeria was a comical character, but she definitely did not fit with REH's characterization or Roy's or Kraar's. There was also too much happening in such a short period of Conan's life for it to be believably possible. You're still a few issues away from reviewing it, but while I did enjoy the Red Nails prequel, I did not enjoy its sequel. Alas, I have never read “Island of pirate’s doom," as decent condition copies of SS0C #73, 74, 76-79 elude me financially and it was not included in the Dark Horse SSoC phonebook reprints. Perhaps I shall hunt them down at the MNCBA Fallcon, this October. I cannot imagine that this story is what Roy would have wanted to be Valeria's exit from Conan's life. I wonder how he would have had her re-enter it, during his kingship, had SSoC and CtB never been cancelled. I just finished reading the final volume of Dark Horse's reprints of SSoC (it does not appear that they will reprint CtS #1-10), and I can say that it was my personal favorite comic/magazine series. It is such a shame that it had to come to an end, especially with Roy back at the reigns. Had it never been cancelled, we would be at issue 500 by now.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 1, 2016 9:48:41 GMT -5
Bless, you, RR, this is why I enjoy your commentary so much - you notice these sorts of things. Thanks, senator! I fully agree with you on the Dixonverse Valeria. She was fun, but she was clearly not the real Valeria. I wouldn't bother with Island of pirates doom. The story itself is pretty standard and the art is nothing to get excited about... John Buscema breakdowns and Danny Bulanadi finishes. The story was presented in very small bits and pieces, something that killed any momentum it might have had. And Valeria acts out of character in it, too; she seems to have reverted to a younger, less self-assured version of herself (I mean, she cries in self-pity when a sailor suspects her of having slept with another man, because no one wants to believe that she has remained chaste despite her piratical life! Now since this comes after Red Nails it's very surprising, considering she and Conan were pretty much assumed to have been lovers after that particular adventure). Regarding the eventual fate of SSoC I agree... It was a very good mag, and when Roy Thomas came back in the early '90s it gave it a second life. I was extremely disappointed when SSoC was turned into Conan the savage and reverted to the formula from the mid-80s. (There still were good individual stories in there, and some seriously good art, but it never felt like the real Conan).
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 8, 2016 10:14:29 GMT -5
Savage sword of Conan # 202, October 1992 Cover by Earl Norem This issue also has a few pin-ups, including this uncommon one by Alfredo Alcala. Tables of contentsThe sword and the scythe, beginning the five-part arc Conan in the city of magiciansExile of Atlantis, adapting the first Kull story (chronologically speaking).
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 8, 2016 10:24:59 GMT -5
SSoC #202 ------------- The sword and the scytheScript by Roy Thomas Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan “Conan in the city of magicians” is a title that would have sent my young fannish heart aflutter in the late ‘70s. For in the Hyborian universe created by Robert E. Howard, a world in which our barbaric hero fights magicians on a regular basis, there is an entire city of sorcerers, deep in the shadowy land of Stygia. A newcomer to Conan’s world, I was really looking forward to the day my favourite Cimmerian would have to go there -because let’s face it, he just HAD to at some point! The city’s name is Keshatta, and it was mentioned in the story “ The vale of lost women” (adapted in CtB #104), in an excerpt relevant to this story arc : This is instructive because it shows Kheshatta to be a city of scholars more than city-sized den of devil worship where demons zip hither and yon to do their master’s bidding. (Conan will make a mention of his half expecting to see people on flying carpets in Kheshatta, mirroring my own expectations!) It also makes clear that the city being attacked by Kushite raiders is nothing inconceivable. The story arc is, however, a case of continuity pushed too far. The story remains enjoyable, but its tendency to revisit multiple older storylines stretches credibility and makes the Hyborian age world look that much smaller. A critical eye would also spot several instances of plot-imposed stretches of plausibility; nothing too distracting, but still weighing the tale down a little. See? Even when when we readers are treated to the joy of seeing Roy Thomas back on the title we still manage to complain! Some people are never happy!!! But let’s begin with this first instalment. After the events from issue 199 and his decking of Captain Strombanni’s first mate Galaccus, Conan had to find a new job. He is now serving on the Horned Whale, another Barachan ship. Her captain agrees to honour Conan’s promise to deliver the Lady Morganis, who has been a hostage these many months on the Barachan islands, back to her native Zingara. A storm at sea is however seen as a sign of bad luck brought by having a woman on board, and a traitorous sailor murders old Captain Borgio. Conan throws the murderer himself into the raging sea, and when the weather finally calms down the surviving sailors make the Cimmerian their new captain. For those keeping score, here’s a list of the ships Conan sailed on in his Barachan/Buccaneer career: But let us return to the matters at hand. The new captain of the Horned Whale has Morganis delivered safe and sound to her homeland at last, where she will inherit her late husband’s fortune. The ship then returns to the open sea, where it is promptly spotted by Zingaran buccaneers that start following it with menacing intentions. The ship flees south. During the following days, it passes the spot where the island of Kelka once pierced the waves, before being sunk in CtB 71. Hunger and thirst plague the Horned Whale’s crew and bring it close to mutiny, as they blame their new captain for their continued bad luck. (Conan doesn’t help his case by shooting and eating an albatross, something sure to bring down more bad fortune on their heads). The Zingarans finally give up pursuit and the Horned Whale makes way to the Kushite city of Zabhela, where it hopes to get some provisions. Unfortunately, ever since the Kushite revolution that saw Queen Tananda toppled in CtB #107, the country has become more xenophobic than before. The local king and queen, Palambo and Zanji, have the Barachans arrested and thrown in a stockade; they are to teach the Zabhelans how to build and handle ships. (Refusal will be met with the execution of the sailors, one after the other). Silently blamed for all their trouble by his crew, a brooding Conan meets an unexpected old acquaintance in their common cell : Imhotep, the ravager of worlds, from CtB #179-185. Imhotep is an otherdimensional being of great power, one who hates us humans and takes great relish in wreaking havoc and destruction on his winged horse. Imhotep and Conan hadn’t exactly left as friends the last time, but at least they weren’t at each other’s throat, allowing them to discuss in a civilized manner. The demon has, once again, been brought to our universe against his will. This time it was by the Stygian wizard Hak-Heru of Kheshatta, who wanted to command Imhotep’s horde of flying demons. Managing to overpower Imhotep by stealing a certain amulet, the wizard has been discomfited to realize he could neither cause him pain nor kill him; he therefore decided to simply exile him under a mortal guise. (Only Conan can see Imhotep for what he is, because of their past experience in which the creature briefly became the Cimmerian’s servant; to all others, he looks like a tall Stygian). After a year in human form, Imhotep will be trapped in it forever. (Why exile him, then? Whyu not let him rot in a Kheshatta cell? Needs must when the plot drives). Imhotep made his way to the city of Zabhela, sensing that “his fate lies there” or plot-dictated words to that effect. In Zabhela he tried to convince King Palambo and Queen Zanji to attack and plunder the city of Kheshatta (and hopefully get the upper hand over Hak-Heru). His plan failed and he was instead jailed, with the added indignity of being forced to become the queen’s lover. Queen Zanji is a hot-blooded lady, while her husband would much rather play with his gilded chariot. Being talked by Imhotep into the novelty of a threesome, she makes the mistake of having her tall Stygian lover and the bronze barbarian brought together to her boudoir. The two men take the opportunity to escape, throwing the queen out the window. Together, Conan and Imhotep make good their escape and strike a deal : the Cimmerian will help the demon kill Hak-Heru and recover his amulet, and then the demon will lead his demonic horde against Zabhela to free Conan’s crew. (That is, unless the queen, out of spite, has them all killed!) On their way out, the fugitives encounter King Palambo on his chariot and Imhotep takes great delight in killing him. They steal the chariot and ride away toward the east. Notes : - Although there’s too much of it for my taste, the continuity is impeccable. There’s even a section on the letters page listing all the references made in the story! - By including Imhotep, Roy acknowledges once again the canonical status of Jim Owsley’s run on Conan the barbarian. That pleases me greatly, as that run included the best of the non-Thomas issues from the ‘80s. - Imhotep is an Egyptian name, and his mount Pazuzu is that of a Babylonian demon, “king of the evil spirits of the air” as they said in the movie The Exorcist II. - Conan states that he's never been to Keshatta, which contradicts SSoC #89 ( gamesmen of Asgalun), a story set nearly a decade earlier. However, as I've stated my dislike of that particular continuity-challenging story before, I am quite happy to defer to Roy's judgement and to consider it non-canonical.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 8, 2016 10:25:38 GMT -5
SSoC #202 ------------- Exile of AtlantisScript by Roy Thomas Art by E.R. Cruz Adapting the short story by Robert E. Howard. A classic story, naturally, since in it Howard firmly establishes Kull’s character. It is made a little more poignant here (even if a little less plausible) by having the girl that Kull spares from a horrible death be his childhood friend Sareeta. It’s a powerful interpretation; my favourite “Young Kull” story to date. It ends with Kull having to flee his native isle of Atlantis, the first step in his eventually becoming King of Valusia.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 12, 2016 10:47:13 GMT -5
Savage sword of Conan #203, November 1992 Cover by Vince Evans. Table of contentsMarauders in Meroê, part II of Conan in the city of magiciansOld Garrad’s heart, a tale of Conan in his teens. Note of interest: the Swords and scrolls letter section has a letter from Shane Foley, who will later become a collaborator to Roy Thomas’s pro fanzine Alter Ego.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 12, 2016 10:56:33 GMT -5
SSoC #203 ------------- Marauders in MeroêScript by Roy Thomas Art by John Buscema and Ernie Chan In this second part of Conan in the city of magicians, we revisit the events from CtB# 106-107 (“the snout in the dark”). His crew held captive by Zanji, queen of the city of Zahbela on the coast of Kush, Conan has struck a bargain with his old acquaintance the demon Imhotep (“the ravager of worlds”). The Cimmerian will help the demon to dispose of his enemy, the wizard Hak-Heru, who has trapped him on our world and stolen his horde of followers by securing a certain amulet. In exchange, Inhotep will lead his horde against Zahbela and help free Conan’s men before they can be sacrificed during the feast of Derketo, which is to be held a month hence. Hak-Heru is in southern Stygia, in the city of Keshatta, “the city of magicians”. It is toward that city that the two allies’ stolen chariot is taking them, when on the way they are attacked by winged apes summoned by their distant foe. The assault is repulsed, and the loss of the chariot is compensated by Imhotep’s magical taming of a pair of wild zebras that then act as mounts. These (and succeeding pairs of zebras) take Conan and Imhotep eastwards to the capital of Kush (which is called Meroê here but is sometimes referred to as Shumballa, depending on the source). We are told of the revolution that took place in Meroê in CtB #106-107, during which the dark-skinned people of Kush had toppled the ruling caste of Stygian-descended aristocrats. Since then the policy seems to have been "Kush for Kushites" and pale-skinned visitors are viewed with extreme hostility. Accordingly, Imhotep uses a bit of magic to assume the traits of a local, intending to pass Conan as his slave. Conan is however not just any northerner; he used to be captain of the guard to the deposed queen, Tananda, slain during the revolution. His presence is quickly made known and a troop of soldiers comes to arrest him. They are led by Mongo, a former guardsman who clearly went up the ranks after Conan’s departure nearly a decade earlier. “Conan’s charm with old comrades is far less than (he) imagined”, as Imhotep mockingly states, as the Cimmerian’s good-natured greeting of Mongo is rebuffed. Conan and Imhotep are led to the current leader of Meroê, Ageera the witch-finder, who can be kindly described as a fanatic. Ageera has no interest in the Cimmerian and orders him killed, but senses that Imhotep is more than just a tall and silent Kushite; he quickly pierces the demon’s disguise and reveals him for the otherworldy creature that he is. The shock of seeing Imhotep in his real form destabilizes all the people present, and Conan grabs this chance to escape. He and Imhotep slay many a soldier before the demon is trapped by nets; the Cimmerian for his part escapes in the city’s maze-like streets. Eluding his pursuers by climbing to the city’s roofs, Conan waits for nightfall to proceed to the dwelling of one he hopes might prove to be an ally : his erstwhile mistress Habarata. Entering the woman’s unlighted apartments, the Cimmerian reaches her bedside and whispers to what he believes is her ear; unfortunately, it turns out to be Mongo’s! It turns out that Mongo did more than just get Conan’s old job, he also managed to woo his girl! The furious captain jumps at Conan’s throat, but the Cimmerian breaks his hold and knocks him out with a powerful less cross. Conan and Habarata get reacquainted, and the lady is not all that displeased to see her past lover again. Note how Ernie Chan creates volumes with his inking style in these issues : lots and lots of tiny strokes that result in a lovely 3D effect. In the hands of a less gifted artist, this approach would probably result in a mess of ink; here the result is lovely and sometimes stunning. Intent on freeing Imhotep from the cell he has been carted to, Conan proceeds to disguise himself as Captain Mongo; he steals his clothes and uses make-up to darken his fair complexion. Habarata helps, but in the presence of the gagged and bound Mongo, she and Conan pretend that her collaboration is the price for the captain's continuous well-being. Hiding his face and avoiding any conversation, Conan bluffs his way into the palace complex and makes his way to the dungeons, where he finds Imhotep. (As stated in the previous issue, Imhotep is, as far as we know, unkillable; Ageera hasn’t yet found the means to destroy the demon). The escape attempt fails when one of the palace guards that “Mongo” met earlier warns that the captain's walk is all wrong and brings in more soldiers to catch the imposter. What’s more, Mongo himself quickly shows up (with his jaw bandaged), obviously revenge-crazed! Conan and Imhotep are cornered and start swinging their respective sword and scythe, when suddenly another threat appears: Imhotep’s own demon horde swooping down from the sky!!! When it rains, it pours!!! To be continued!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 12, 2016 10:59:37 GMT -5
SSoC #203 ------------- Old Garrad’s heartScript by Roy Thomas Art by Sanfu Florea Adapting "Old Garfield's heart", a short frontier tale by Robert E. Howard. In the latter Savage sword issues there would be a few such transpositions of Howard’s cow-boy stories to the Hyborian age, usually replacing Indians with Picts. Here an old Cimmerian warrior, Garrad by name, is shown to have once been grievously wounded but saved by a Pictish shaman who replaced his heart with that of a god. The man, who stopped growing older after the transplant, gets a 14 year old Conan to promise him to dig the heart out of his chest if he is ever wounded so badly as to have no hope of recovery. That's because the magic heart he was given would prevent him from dying for good and would condemn him to an eternal state of half-life/half-death. Shortly thereafter such a wound accidentally occurs on account of a feud between young Conan and a local bully. Conan honours his promise to Garrad and extracts the heart, and a bat-like creature comes to recover it. Sandu Florea had done a few pin-ups in past issues; it is his first complete story. As is often the case, the heart is here drawn as being way too big for a human chest. Old Garrad makes a reference to Corum, Conan’s paternal grandfather whom we met in CtB #119.
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