“Revenge of the Sorcerer!”
Writer: Michael Fleisher
Artists: Gil Kane, Luke McDonnell & Zoran Vanjaka
Conan has come to the stronghold of the wizard G’Humen Thak to rescue the Goddess-Princess Ayella. He finds out he has to kill the wizard so sets out to look for him. He runs into a priest who wants to help him when they get distracted by a scream. Conan goes to check it out and finds the sleeping guard killed. Seems another priest killed him for being asleep. He finds this guy and kills him. Then he is confronted by a whole bunch of priest but Ayella triggers a trap door that puts him in a dungeon.
This was a good thing since it saved Conan. Ayella with some other priest gets him out but this other priest proves to be a traitor. He pushes Conan into a pit with a man-ape lizardman. Conan has to kill it and continues his quest to find Ayella. This takes him outside where he ambushes a wandering old priest to show him where G’Humen Thak is. He also finds the first priest that was to help him dead but they come on Ayella who now is in the custody of the General of Khambuja that tried to kill Conan. Conan fights him and is about to win but this general decides he can’t live with being defeated by Conan so jumps over a cliff.
Well Conan hooks up with his Afghuli tribesmen and split into two groups. One to go on to G’Humen Thak and the other to stop the Khambujan army. Conan manages to set a fire and drive them into a pass where a rockslide destroys them. He goes back and hooks up with the rest of his men. He come on a huge door into a mountain and the chamber of the wizard. The wizard uses a gem to attack Conan and his men. Fortunately Conan throws a chalice and knocks the gem out of his hand. Conan skewers the fleeing wizard with a thrown sword and gets all the treasure and the girl.
“Lion of the Waves”
Writer: Alan Zelenetz
Artist: Pablo Marcos
A six page portfolio with a poetic story of Conan and the Black Corsairs attacking a pirate ship to rescue Belit.
Well this second part story was just a mess. I mean it seemed like Fleisher was just pulling stuff out of his ass left and right to get this thing done. I mean I was confused that the second priest wasn’t the first priest but apparently wasn’t. Also why did the general leave his men to somehow capture the princess alone. Then he just kills himself instead of be defeated by Conan. The whole story just meanders along aimlessly before coming to a merciful end.
As for the art it is also a hot mess. With three artists each contributing a part of the art it just looks horrible. I love Fleisher’s writing but this just looked like the whole story as being a rush job to get something in at the last minute. Oh well I suppose everyone writes a clunker now and then.
The real redeeming part of this issue was the backup story. Six beautiful full page drawings by Pablo Marcos with equally enjoyable poetic rhyme.
Comic book cave of awesome 