Savage Sword of Conan #40-43

[Col_Fury]

SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #40 (May 1979)
By Roy Thomas & John Buscema

APPEARANCES:
Conan & his crew (inc Zeltran, Riego), Princess Chabela (Zingara King Fedrugo’s daughter), Sigurd Redbeard, Duke Villagro, Gomani (Villagro’s servant), Capt. Zarono (pirate) & his crew, Menkara (priest of Set), Ninus (priest of Mitra), Capt. Kappellez, Zingaran army, Zingarans (inc Sabral, Cratos), King Fedrugo (mentioned), Tovarro (Fedrugo’s brother, mentioned), Thoth-Amon (mentioned)

SYNOPSIS:
Awaking from a nightmare and concerned for her father’s recent failing health, Princess Chabela casts an incantation and decides to get help from her uncle Tovarro. Meanwhile, Duke Villagro plots with Menkara (priest of Set) to marry Princess Chabela to Villagro so he can become king of Zingara. Chabela has vanished, though, so Menkara casts a spell to find her. They plan to follow and find her and get Thoth-Amon’s help to get her to marry Villagro. As they leave, Ninus, a priest of Mitra spots them and sounds an alarm; they attack him and steal a map he has. Conan was supposed to meet Ninus so he goes looking for him. Learning about Menkara, Conan gathers his crew and sails after them. Villagro captures Chabela then sails for a nameless island. Conan follows. Villagro and Menkara search the island, find a temple and take a book. Meanwhile, Chabela escapes onto the island. Conan arrives, finds the temple, but accidentally animates a statue, which chases him. Meanwhile, Chabela is found by Sigurd Redbeard. The three team up and defeat the statue.

NOTE:
Beginning the epic adaptation of the novel Conan the Buccaneer by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.

Followed by a glossary of Hyborian terms, then an article about the Conan record album (and how the newspaper strips retold the same stories but more “sedately”).

SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #41 (June 1979)
By Roy Thomas & John Buscema

APPEARANCES:
Conan (also in fb) & his crew (inc Zeltran), Princess Chabela, Sigurd Redbeard & his crew, Juma & his warriors (inc Bwatu), Capt. Zarono & his crew, Menkara, Thoth-Amon, Ghanata slavers (inc Capt. Mbonani, Fardar, Shaka, Zuru), Queen Nzinga & her Amazon warriors (inc Tuta), Stygians

FLASHBACK:
Conan returns to the temple and finds the Cobra Crown (before main story).
SYNOPSIS:
Zarono realizes that Chabela has escaped. After a search, Menkara uses his magic to learn she’s with Conan. They travel to Stygia to ask Thoth-Amon for help. They give him the Book of Skelos they found, but he scolds them for not getting the Cobra Crown. Meanwhile, Conan’s ship arrives on a coast so they start to resupply themselves, but are surprised by approaching Kushite warriors. Conan is pleased to see they’re headed by his old friend Juma and the two reminisce. Juma throws a party for Conan and his crew, but Conan passes out drunk and his Cobra Crown is stolen. He chases after the thief and is captured by slavers; Chabela follows and is also captured. Thoth-Amon uses his magic to learn this and sends Zarono and Menkara to the Black Coast. Conan and Chabela are bought by Queen Nzinga of the Amazons. Chabela is a servant and Conan is her concubine. Nzinga grows suspicious that Conan prefers Chabela to herself, so she drugs Conan and orders him imprisoned. Meanwhile, Thoth-Amon vanishes from his Stygian temple.

NOTE:
Continuing the adaptation of the novel Conan the Buccaneer by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.

Remember Juma from COB 37? He’s the guy who told Conan that Rhinos are called unicorns.

Followed by an article on Conan’s world by Fred Blosser, and another article, “The Ballad of Bêlit” by Roy Thomas, with various character sketches by John Buscema and different versions of COB 100’s cover.

2nd story:
By Roy Thomas & David Wenzel

This Solomon Kane story is already in the MCP.

SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #42 (July 1979)
By Roy Thomas & John Buscema

APPEARANCES:
Conan, Princess Chabela, Queen Nzinga & her Amazon warriors (inc Lyta), Thoth-Amon, Juma & his Kushite warriors, Sigurd Redbeard

SYNOPSIS:
Conan is tossed in a cell while Nzinga starts torturing Chabela. They’re interrupted when Thoth-Amon appears. He zaps Nzinga, grabs the nearby Cobra Crown and vanishes. Chabela’s blood and sweat allows her to slips from her chains and she finds Conan. Conan frees himself and they begin to escape but are recaptured and presented to cannibalistic trees. The digestive acids loosens Conan’s bonds and he free Chabela. The Amazons attack, but then flee when he uproots a tree and charges at them with it. Juma arrives and provides reinforcements. As they return to the Black Coast, Conan plans to get Chabela back home and foil whatever plot against her father is going on.

NOTE:
Continuing the adaptation of the novel Conan the Buccaneer by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.

Followed by another glossary of Hyborian words.

2nd story:
By Roy Thomas & David Wenzel.

This Bran Mak Morn story was covered here.

SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #43 (August 1979)
By Roy Thomas & John Buscema

APPEARANCES:
Conan & his crew (also in fb, inc Zeltran (also in fb)), Princess Chabela, Sigurd Redbeard, Juma & his Kushite warriors, Capt. Zarono (also in fb) & his crew (in fb), Menkara (also in fb), King Fedrugo & his army, Duke Villagro, Thoth-Amon, Ninus (bts), Zingarans (inc Sabral)

FLASHBACK:
Conan’s crew is attacked by Zarono. Zarono interrogates Zeltran to find out where Chabela is, then destroys the ship (three days ago). Villagro and Zarono chat about the Cobra Crown.
SYNOPSIS:
Conan returns to the Black Coast and finds his ship wrecked. He starts repairing it with Juma’s help. Eventually returning to Zingara, Conan and friends begin to make plans but are cut short when the city bells signal King Fedrugo has begun holding court. Meanwhile, Fedrugo names Thoth-Amon the next king of Zingara. Upset that he’s not the next king, Villagro grabs the Cobra Crown and uses it against Thoth-Amon. As Villagro and Thoth-Amon battle, they’re interrupted when Conan arrives. The plot is revealed and foiled, Thoth-Amon kills Villagro, sees the Cobra Crown’s power has been burnt up and attempts a forceful coup. It too is foiled when Conan’s crew arrives as reinforcements. Thoth-Amon escapes. Later, Conan tells Sigurd he turned down Chabela’s offer of marriage; if he ever gets a kingdom he’ll do it on his own.

NOTE:
Concluding the epic adaptation of the novel Conan the Buccaneer by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.

P@ 2/4 (1:2)-FB repeats dialogue from SAVSCO 42. Nothing new there.

P@ 2/4 (2 - 5:4)-FB repeats dialogue from SAVSCO 43. Nothing new there.

P@ 2/4 (5:5 - 5:6)-FB expands KCO 4.

Sigurd Redbeard says he used to be racist against Kushites… until he met them in person. Now he thinks they’re just like anyone else. Good job, Sigurd!

Followed by an article on various Hyborean peoples. By REH! Then, an article by Fred Blosser about “the Deadly Claws of Kathulos.”

2nd story:
By Roy Thomas & David Wenzel.

Again, This Bran Mak Morn story was covered here.

I liked this one. Good stuff!

Roy’s chronology places this after SAVSCO 94 and before SAVSCO 68-69.

Chronologies!

CONAN
……
M/SSPEC 2
[SAVSCO 73 (1 - 4:4)]
SAVSCO 225 (12:6)-FB
[SAVSCO 73 (4:5 - 49)]
[SAVSCO 122]
*[SAVSCO 94]
*SAVSCO 40
*SAVSCO 41-FB
*SAVSCO 41
*SAVSCO 42
*SAVSCO 43
*[SAVSCO 68]
[SAVSCO 69]
SAVSCO 225 (13:1 - 13:3)-FB
SAVSCO 225
……

JUMA
COB 37
*SAVSCO 41
*SAVSCO 42
*SAVSCO 43

KING FEDRUGO
SAVSCO 43

MENKARA
SAVSCO 40
SAVSCO 41
SAVSCO 43-FB
SAVSCO 43

NINUS
SAVSCO 40
SAVSCO 43-BTS

QUEEN CHABELA
*SAVSCO 40
*SAVSCO 41
*SAVSCO 42
*SAVSCO 43
KCO 2
KCO 10-BTS

QUEEN NZINGA
*SAVSCO 41
*SAVSCO 42

SABRAL
SAVSCO 40
SAVSCO 43

SIGURD REDBEARD
*SAVSCO 40
*SAVSCO 41
*SAVSCO 42
*SAVSCO 43
CO@ 7
M/GN:COISLES
COSAV 10

THOTH-AMON
COB 7
COB 68
*SAVSCO 41
*SAVSCO 42
*SAVSCO 43
CO@ 2
……

VILLAGRO, DUKE
SAVSCO 40
SAVSCO 43

ZARONO, CAPT.
SAVSCO 40
SAVSCO 41
SAVSCO 43-FB
SAVSCO 43

ZELTRAN
SAVSCO 40
SAVSCO 41
SAVSCO 43-FB
SAVSCO 43