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Description - 

This listing is for: Savage Sword Of Conan Annual #1, First Series. Condition appears to be VG-. SOLID READER COPY!!! The cover and all pages are firmly attached. There is no writing inside or outside of the book. No ads are coupons have been clipped from the book. There is cover wear and spine stress as is associated with the grade. A small 1/2" (or less) piece of the front cover and spine is missing at the bottom right. There is a small piece of the front cover missing on the bottom left corner. There is amateur repair with tape on the back cover. Please see photos of actual item for best description. 



Summer 1975. Conan reprints: "Beware the Wrath of Anu" (script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Barry Windsor-Smith, inks by Sal Buscema; from Conan the Barbarian 10) and "The Web of the Spider-God" (also by Thomas/Windsor-Smith/Buscema, from a plot by John Jakes; from Conan the Barbarian 13). Kull reprints: "The Forbidden Swamp" (script by Thomas, pencils by Marie Severin, inks by John Severin) and "The Death-Dance of Thulsa Doom!" (also by Thomas/Severin/Severin). Windsor-Smith frontispiece (reprint). Badia cover. Cover price $1.25.


Description

Savage Sword of Conan was black and white comic magazine. It is one of several titles from the 1970s where Marvel Comics used the magazine format to produce content outside of the publishing industry's self-censoring Comics Code. Savage Sword of Conan was one of the most successful of these titles, running from 1974 to 1995 for a total of 235 issues.

In 1970, Marvel Comics began publication of Conan the Barbarian. The series, Marvel's first to feature author Robert E. Howard's most famous creation, quickly became one of the company's most popular titles. Running for 23 years and 275 issues, the comic Inspired countless imitators, helping propel Howard, and the "sword and sorcery" genre he created, into the mainstream of American popular culture.

Howard introduced Conan in his story "The Phoenix on the Sword," printed in a 1932 edition of the magazine Weird Tales. Howard published 16 additional Conan in a lifetime cut short by suicide. Additional stories were released posthumously, with other writers contributing their own visions of Conan's adventures in Howard's "Age of Hyboria" a brutal prehistoric era populated by wicked sorcerers, evil demons and ferocious despots.

Following the success of Conan the Barbarian, Marvel released more titles featuring the character, notably the comic book King Conan/ Conan the King (1980-1989) and the black and white magazine Savage Sword of Conan (1974-1995.) In the early 2000s, Dark Horse acquired the license for Conan, developing several well-received titles between 2003-2017, after which Marvel reacquired the property.

Since his introduction to comic book audiences, Conan has been the subject of novels, video games, animated television series and feature films, notably 1982's Conan the Barbarian. Directed by John Milius, the film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role, helping launch the Austrian born weightlifter and future Governor of California's Hollywood career.

Story 1: "Beware the Wrath of Anu!"

Reprint of the 1st story from 
Conan the Barbarian #10
Conan and Jenna reach a Corinthian city-state, but run into some trouble trying to enter. The guards are distracted by a patrol chasing a pair of thieves, and when Conan gets in the way of their arrows, they turn their wrath on him. He is saved in turn by the thieves, as they help him escape onto the roofs, unfortunately leaving Jenna behind, though they first tell her to meet them at the Temple of Amu. It turns out one of the thieves is Burgun, whom Conan briefly allied with in the lost city Lanjau. Burgun, Conan and the third man, Igon, visit the temple of Anu, the priest of which acts as her fence on a regular basis. Conan reunites with Jenna, and decides to help Burgun on his thieving runs, always staying one step ahead of Captain Aron. Finally, the duo targets the secret ruler of the city, the Red Priest Nabonidus. Meanwhile, Captain Aron traces the thieves back to the Temple of Anu, threatening and bribing the priest to help him set a trap and Burgun is captured. Igon, more interested in Jenna, doesn't seem to care that his partner is imprisoned and refuses to help Conan break him out. Burgun is hanged, but Conan notes Aron meeting with the priest in the window of the Temple of Anu. Angered beyond belief, Conan confronts the priest, who summons Anu himself - a red humanoid bull-god. The priest is protected from Anu's rage by as amulet, but loses that protection when Conan snatches the amulet from around the priest's neck. Anu goes on a rampage, growing larger and larger until it takes the priest in hand and crushes him. His blooth thirst stilled, Anu turns wraith-like, grows hundreds of feet tall and vanishes back into the heavens. The priest, near death, is helped along by a blow from Conan's sword. Conan returns to the gallows, slits the throat of the guard, cuts down his friend's body, burns the scaffold to the ground, and buries Burgun outside the town.

Story 2: "The Forbidden Swamp"

Reprint of the 1st story from 
Monsters on the Prowl #16
King Kull, along with his friend Brule and a group of Red Slayers enter the Forbidden Swamp, trying to locate the Temple of the Serpent-Men believed to be hidden within. They kill several Serpent-Men along the way until they finally spy the temple on the other side of a large river. They fashion a raft out of logs and attempt to cross the river when they hear chanting from three Serpent-Men priests. The chanting brings forth a giant river dragon, which nearly kills the group of adventurers. They manage to get across the river, however, and kill the priests with Kull proving immune to their weapons. Kull alone enters the temple where he encounters Thulsa Doom, who claims that he had come to the temple to rescue his beloved, but was too late as her body lay prostrate across the alter. Kull invites Thulsa back to his city despite the protestations of Brule and the others who have heard rumours of the lord's evil ways. Kull dismisses their warnings, however, saying that he will be welcome until he does something to make himself unwelcome.

Story 3: "The Death-Dance of Thulsa Doom!"

Reprint of the 1st story from 
Kull the Conqueror #3

There are festivities that follow the recent victory of Kull over the serpent men, and a discussion about the jewel that gives some invulnerability to Kull. As Kull reflects back, he realizes that the other serpent gem is missing from the serpent temple and that means someone else can have the same invulnerability as he possesses. Kull receives a greeting from Ka-Nu and he invites him to come visit, as well as Brule. At the feast he meets Thulsa Doom and a tiger attacks him with Brule and Kull. apparently saving Thulsa Doom’s life. Thulsa Doom enchants Shiva, Kull’s consort, who transforms into a bird and snatches away the serpent jewel. Kull grasps the bird as it flies away, and they both, after a struggle, plummet to the ground with Shiva transforming back to human form and hitting the ground—dead. Thulsa Doom then is confronted by Kull who mediately recognizes he is responsible for Shiva‘s death. With some sword-play between the two with both of their swords passing through the other, and not harming them, Thulsa explains why and then departs without the gem. Kull in the quest to go see Ka-Nu, who told him of the gem, now leaves the castle. Is it a dream or mystic incantation? That has Kull on a horse flying through the sky, and eventually becomes crumpling old bones over a fallen bridge, that leaves him wondering where. He sees Ka-Nu, perhaps, and asks him to take the serpent eye gem, but it was really Thulsa Doom. Thulsa then takes him in the court of Kull’s subjects to demonstrate to all how powerful he as become over even Kull. As he puts the two gems together it is too much power and reduces Thulsa to nothing as he became part of everything.

Kull is pensive about the chains that Thulsa had placed on him and reflects back on the power of the gems, and eventually drops the gem in the bottomless pit of Hell and then he seems free of the potential to be godlike like Thulsa had aspired. He rests in peace and freedom of his choice.

Story 4: "Web of the Spider-God"

Reprint of the 1st story from 
Conan the Barbarian #13

Conan travels through the desert northeast of Zamahn, the location of the previous issue. (The introduction says "east of Ophir", what is an oversight, since the story begins near the northern frontier of Corinthia and Zamora).

Near an oasis, Conan is attacked by marauders of the "brotherhood", lead by Sarkon, a man with many scars in the face. Surprisingly, Conan is defeated and knocked unconscious. The bandits flee the oasis, fearing the guards of the nearby city of Yezud just on the other side of the zamorian border. When Conan awakens, he stumbles through the sands for some time. After having a vision of a giant spider, he finally arrives at another oasis and is helped by an elderly desert dweller, Thanix. The old man tells Conan about Omm, the spider-god worshipped in the Zamoran city of Yezud, and that the priests have kidnapped his daughter to be sacrificed. In return for saving his life, Conan travels with Thanix to Yezud and quickly runs afoul of Yezud's soldiers. Conan and Thanix are tossed into the dungeon where all the sacrifices are kept. Conan causes a distraction to allow Tork, a spy and engineer from Shadizar, to escape. Tork has a plan to destroy the city by creating a rockslide in the caverns underneath the town. Conan is brought to Modar, the high priest of Omm, for sacrifice, and sees the gigantic spider the town worships. Conan breaks free and throws the frail priest into the spider's web where he is killed. Conan is pushed into the web himself, but manages to fend off Omm. The wounded spider tries to crawl back into its cave but Conan doesn't stop stabbing and beating it. The townspeople, furious that the barbarian treats its god so, attacks, and Thanix is killed. At that moment the city starts to collapse into the ground as Tork has succeeded in sabotaging the tunnels. Conan and Thanix's daughter, Lea, escape, witnessing the death of Sarkon, the webbed leader of the marauders, who was right to fear the guards of Yezud. Lea and Tork go to Shadizar as Conan continues his wanderings.


Disclaimer -

We are not professional graders. The grades listed are our opinion based on years of collecting and selling comics. We try to err on the side of caution with our grades. The book/books pictured are the ones you will receive so please examine scans closely and make your own determination. More photos are available upon request. If you have any questions about a grade or the item in general please contact us for more information. 


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