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Conan the Barbarian #91
Marvel Comics, 35¢ ($1.27 in 2014 dollars), 32 pages
Cover Date: Oct. 1978 — Released: July 18, 1978
Story Grade: B+
Issue Score: 79.00
RAT-TASTICALLY RECOMMENDED
"Savage Doings in Shem!"
(17 pages / 98 panels / 3,172 words / 17:45 read time)
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas
Penciller: John Buscema
Inker: Ernie Chan
Colorist: George Roussos
Letterer: Tom Orzachowski
Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter
Ah, 1978, the most perfect year in comics. Yes, and I hope you will trust in my sincerity when I say this, I maintain the most perfect comics books ever made where published in 1977 and 1978! Of course, it possible that much of my love for the comics of this era is due to the fact that I was 10 years old when they came out (I'd turn 11 at the end of November), making them cherished parts of my childhood.
Comic books changed a lot due to the infamous DC Implosion that happened this year. Within a few months, DC would invent the limited series in an attempt to use up material left unpublished by the Implosion, while the direct-sales market, still in something of a zygote stage in 1978, would soon become the primary distribution channel for our four-color wonders. Both developments would result in comic book companies — becoming more corporate and, I think, somewhat less creative around this time — playing to an increasingly narrow base of dedicated fans.
And so, the 1977-78 period, which I think we can safely call the last great gasp of newsstand distribution, coincided with a time when I was beginning to make my own purchasing decisions, using my own money, albeit earned as an allowance. Prior to 1977, comics were purchased for me, with titles chosen sometimes with my input, sometimes despite it, and often in direct countermandance of it.
However, Conan was not a book I chose to buy at the time. Although today I bemoan the market's focus on aging fanboys, and its near-total disregard for the casual reader, there's no questioning that I was part of the problem. Back in 1978, if it didn't wear a cape, or have super-powers, I wasn't interested. Still, regardless of genre, nothing sets my heart aflutter today quite like a comic book with the black "Marvel Comics Group" banner across the top and a "Still only 35¢" starburst in the upper-left corner . . . even if it s Conan.
Of course, part of that may be because we had a house fire in late August 1979, which cost us everything we had, including nearly 1,000 comics I'd collected to that point. Today I have more than 15,000 comics, but I still run across issue I've not seen since that fateful afternoon, and I love them most of all.
Anyway, as noted in my previous Time Bubble review, I recently scored a stack of nearly 100 Conans, ranging from #26 to #275. But, as you may by now guess, it was the issues from the era that this review covers that I dove for first. All had been passed over when new, but being from by Golden Age, I could hardly contain my excitement in reading them now.
This issue, is MUCH better than #26 — the first one reviewed here, if far from the first in the stack to be read. Part of that is likely due to the influence of Jim Shooter as "consulting editor." Here, Roy Thomas' script is less off-the-chart overboard with supercilious captions and more like his work as I loved it, in Invaders, All-Star Squadron, and other places. Of course, Thomas tends to the verbose, and he may not be to the tastes of all comics readers, especially newer ones. At the New 52 relaunch I actually overheard a fan at my local comics shop complain of George Perez' Superman that, "It has too many words."
Still, this issue's story takes almost 18 minutes to read, while the whole book, with the letters page and Marvel Bullpen feature, will consume a good 25 minutes of your time. That's a fantastic entertainment value considering most new comics read in the 10-12 minute rage, for same money. Yes, a Near Mint copy of this particular issue, although 36 years old, will only cost you about $6. If you are willing to settle for something in the Very Fine-minus range, you can expect to pay less than a new Marvel comic, most of which retail for $3.99.
Frankly, as the price of new comics continues to escalate, I expect the long-depressed market for mid-grade, non-key back issues to take off. When you can find comics from this era, often better drawn and better written than new comics, and in decent condition on your first eBay search, why buy new at all? One reason is that it can be a disjointed experience to read old comics one at a time, the serial story having become a staple of the industry by the early- to mid-1970s. Buying a reprint collection is often a more satisfying option. However, to my knowledge, Conan issues of this era have only ever been reprinted in Marvel's Conan Saga series form the 1990s. Given lower circulation, those reprints can actually be harder to find than the originals.
So, do yourself a favor, skip one new comic this week and buy an old 1978 Conan instead. Heck, this issue is worth it for the classic ads (X-Ray specs!) and Bullpen announcements of the immanent and recent Marvel debuts of Star-Lord and John Romita Jr.
This issue is typical of the era. In addition to Roy Thomas' script (pretty super even when it goes sappy during Belit's love dance scene) there's John Buscema's art, which is leagues above just about everything on the stands today, even if it's not quite on par with his work in the last issue reviewed, #26. Marvel went from twice-up to the now-standard 11x17 dimension for original art in the late-1960. Still, looking at Buscema's work in #26 compared to this issue, I half wonder if he was still working twice-up in 1973. By this 1978 issue, his work looks slightly less dynamic, with more medium-length shots and close-ups that fill the panel while leaving the page feeling somewhat less expansive. Of course, it's worth noting that neither the coloring nor the production values of this issue are as good as they were five years earlier.
Still, one issue with the art could be that Buscema was simply overworked at this point. The letters page notes that he is back on board after missing a handful of issues to create a Conan newspaper comic strip for solicitation to syndicates as well as to crafting with Stan Lee the seminal How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. It's noted that the strip found a home and would launch in newspapers on September 4, so Buscema was undoubtedly pulling double-duty at this point.
As an aside, the comic strip, which reportedly appeared in about 100 newspapers nationwide, only lasted until April 12, 1981. It was reprinted in various issues of Conan Saga, while Dark Horse Comics issued a collection in 2010 which, although titled "Volume One" apparently contains the entire run.
The story in this issue — you were probably wondering when I'd get to that — has Conan, Belit and Zula hooking up with the Black Corsairs. Then, after Conan beds Belit — because he's Conan dammit and that's what Conan does — they plot to invade Belit's kingdom Asgalun when M'Gora returns to the Corsairs with news of his recent spying mission. Recounting of that mission is a bit to wade through, as are efforts to re-enter the city by stealth, the invading force for some reason limited to Conan, Belit, Zula and M'Gora, the latter of whom quickly and quite mysteriously turns on his compatriots.
That traitorous turn comes thanks to "master mage" Thoth-Amon. Although Thomas takes pains to mention Zula's powers of hypnotism, it's Thoth-Amon who takes over M'Gora's mind, forcing him to attack the others against his will. Zula's ability, for what its worth, is limited to making a Corsair flap his arms and squawk like a seagull.
Finally, in the issue's cliffhanger, Thoth-Amon decides to make all four of our heroes fight each other.
On the letter's page, Thomas apologizes if this issues seems disjointed with all the new character names and whatnot. That's not a new thing. One of the letters complains about the constant comings and goings of people and places in the mag, each with nom-de-geurres hard to pronounce, much less remember. The letter writer pleads with Thomas to have Zula, at least, stick around for a while. In a sidebar on the letter's page, Thomas says Marvel has been hobbled by rights issues over which of Robert E. Howard's characters they can and can't use, particularly as related to Belit. However, all that has since been resolved, Thomas says, terming this particular comic something of a transition issue as he tries to work out discrepancies between the Conan books and Marvel Comics chronology of the Cimmerian's adventures.
Interestingly, and apparently partly due to the trouble of working out these conflicts, Thomas announces next issue (#92) will be a fill-in flashback to Conan's younger days, leaving the cliffhanger to wait until #93 for a resolution.
As a final, passing thought, I will say this issue's cover made me laugh out loud. After all, it's hard to see an image like this and not be immediately reminded of The Princess Bride, especially given that Conan's expression practically screams, "By Crom! Now that is a rodent of unusual size." Fortunately, Conan makes far shorter work of the offending beasts that the Dread Pirate Wesley, possibly due to feeling energized from having just given Belit something slightly more than the perfect kiss.
[COVER: 7.50 — PLOT: 7.75 — SCRIPT: 8.25 — LAYOUT: 9.75 — ARTWORK: 9.50 — EDITING: 7.0 — COLORS/PRODUCTION: 6.25 — DOLLAR VALUE: 8.0 — COLLECTIBILITY: 8.25 —GOSH-WOW FACTOR: 6.75]
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