The Chronicles of Conan #8 - The Tower of Blood and Other Stories

(August 2005)

[none] (Table of Contents: 1)

Conan / illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Mike Ploog

Inks

Mike Ploog

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #58 (January 1976) [a detail from "An Incident in Argos!" p1]

[none] (Table of Contents: 2)

credits, title page / 3 pages (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

The Altar and the Scorpion! (Table of Contents: 3)

Conan / comic story / 18 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Tom Palmer

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

John Costanza

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan; Tara of Hanumar (first appearance)

Synopsis

Conan fights a bull and a giant scorpion. Conan obtains his cloak and mail-shirt.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #52 (July 1975)

Keywords

Belverus; bull; Plain of Shamu; scorpion

Indexer Notes

Adapted from the short story by Robert E. Howard.

Brothers of the Blade! (Table of Contents: 4)

Conan / comic story / 18 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Frank Springer

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

John Costanza

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan; blade brothers; Slicer; Steel-Skull; Tara; Clawfoot

Synopsis

Conan fights the blade brothers and kills Slicer and Steel-Skull. Tara kills Clawfoot.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #53 (August 1975)

Keywords

City of Ronnoco; countryside

The Oracle of Ophir! (Table of Contents: 5)

Conan / comic story / 18 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Tom Palmer

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

John Costanza

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan

Synopsis

Conan visits an oracle and fights an evil twin-self.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #54 (September 1975)

Keywords

City of Ronnoco; hills

A Shadow on the Land! (Table of Contents: 6)

Conan / comic story / 18 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Tom Palmer

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

John Costanza

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan

Synopsis

Conan saves the city of Ronnoco.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #55 (October 1975)

Keywords

City of Ronnoco; Plain of Shamu

The Strange High Tower in the Mist! (Table of Contents: 7)

Conan / comic story / 19 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Pablo Marcos

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

John Costanza

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan; Tara; Yusef; Mad Jakk (introduction, death?)

Synopsis

Conan and his friends are on their way to the city of Messantia. They come to a strange city where they try to rescue a beautiful girl who has been snatched by a bat-thing and taken to a high tower. As Conan bests the bat-thing, the city suddenly turns to dust. Tara and Yusuf tells Conan of their encounter with the founder of the city, the deformed Mad Jakk. The city was a magical construct that took on a life of its own and ensnared adventures in order to create a population. When the city could not defeat Conan, it self-destructed and Mad Jakk chose to follow his city into oblivion.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #56 (November 1975)

Keywords

magical city

Incident in Argos! (Table of Contents: 8)

Conan / comic story / 18 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

Mike Ploog

Inks

Mike Ploog

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

Joe Rosen

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan; Tara; Yusef; Royal Guard; a nameless captain (dies); Publio; Cenzo; Murivo; Tonio; Momratha; Ephemero Portus (dies); Sergeant Vorio

Synopsis

Conan and his friends arrive in Messantia and immediately come into conflict with some cocky members of the Royal guard. Two guards ambush Conan and try to sell him as a slave. Conan breaks loose and hides in the house of fortune teller Momratha, who shows him visions of his future. Meanwhile, Yusuf has killed a captain who harassed Tara, and now they are both on the run. Conan is apprehended but refuses to betray his friends. Fleeing fromn the courthouse, Conan kills the corrupt judge Ephemero Portus. On horseback, Conan leaves the city and leaves his friends behind.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #57 (December 1975)

Keywords

Argos; Messantia

Indexer Notes

The fortune teller Momratha shows Conan visions that later will come true: Conan as a captain, nailed to a cross and finally as a king.

Adapted from a portion of the Robert E Howard story "Queen of the Black Coast"

Queen of the Black Coast! (Table of Contents: 9)

Conan / comic story / 19 pages (report information)

Script

Robert E. Howard (original story); Roy Thomas (adaptation)

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Steve Gan

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

John Costanza; Joe Rosen

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan; Royal Guard; Captain Tito (dies); Yusef (in flashback); Tara (in flashback); captain in the Royal Guard (in flashback, dies); Sergeant Vorio; Ephemero Portus (in flashback, dies); Sirens; Bêlit; Black Corsairs; Odongo (dies); N'yaga

Synopsis

Conan barely escapes the law in Messantia by boarding a ship heading due south. Off the coast of Kush, the ship is unexpectedly boarded by the pirate queen Bêlit and her Black Corsairs. Conan is offered a chance to live if he can defeat the warrior Odongo in battle. Conan is victorious and Odongo dies. Bêlit is impressed by Conan – they quickly become lovers and Conan her second-in-command.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #58 (January 1976)

Keywords

Argos; Falcon (ship); Khemi; Kush; Messantia; River Styx; Shem; Stygia; Tigress (ship)

Indexer Notes

Adapted from a portion of the Robert E Howard story "Queen of the Black Coast". The adaptation is concluded in Conan the Barbarian #100.

Technically, the first appearance of Bêlit is in Giant-Size Conan #1, as a small (blonde!) figure in a flashback panel. This is the first full appearance.

The Ballad of Belit! (Table of Contents: 10)

Conan / comic story / 17 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Pencils

John Buscema

Inks

Steve Gan

Colors

Peter Dawes; Wil Glass; Ian Sokoliwski

Letters

Joe Rosen

Editing

Roy Thomas (original editor)

Genre

sword and sorcery

Characters

Conan; Black Corsairs [Bêlit (origin); M'Gora; N'yaga the Shaman]; nameless Stygian priest; King Athrahasis (Belit's father, in flashback, dies?); the Shemite Royal Guard (in flashback); King Nim-Karrak (Belit's uncle, in flashback); Chief Uzumi (dies, in flashback); Bird-Riders; Birds-That-Run; Derketa [Goddess of Death] (mentioned, in flashback); Dagon (mentioned, in flashback); Blood-Crazed Baboon (in flashback, dies); Man-Eating Leopard (in flashback, dies); Mound-Dwellers (in flashback)

Synopsis

Conan hears the story of Bêlit from N’yaga's lips. Bêlit is the rightful heir to the throne Asaglun. When she was a child, her uncle Nim-Karrak overthrew and killed her father, the king. N'yaga saved her life and rejoined his tribe, where he spread the legend that Bêlit was the daughter of Derketa, goddess of death. Bêlit grew up to become the best warrior of the tribe. The jealous Chief Uzumi sent her on a suicide mission to reclaim a relic from the Mound-Dwellers, but ended up getting killed himself. As the new chief, Bêlit turned to piracy in order to raise funds for her revenge.

Reprints

• from Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, 1970 series) #59 (February 1976)

Keywords

Asgalun (city-state); Khemi; Kush; Liquid Silver; Shem; Silver-Eye of Dagon; Stygia; the Silver Isles; Tigress (ship)

Long Live the Queen! (Table of Contents: 11)

text article / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Roy Thomas

Letters

typeset

Synopsis

Thomas gives some background on the creation of the stories in this volume.

Reprints

• in Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus (Marvel, 2018 series) #3 (2019) [reformatted]

The Chronicles of Conan (Table of Contents: 12)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 4 pages (report information)

Synopsis

House ad for Dark Horse's Conan material

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

Synopsis

Promotional material for this volume.

Indexer Notes

On back cover.