The Bantam Conan Series: Shadows in the Dark

by Gary Romeo

“Shadows in the Dark” by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp was published for the first time in Conan the Swordsmen, Bantam Books, 1978. It is a sequel to Robert E. Howard’s “Black Colossus.”

Yasmela and Conan by
John Buscema and Pablo Marcos

“Black Colossus” is a great story. It begs for follow up. Scott Oden’s story for the Conan Unconquered video game takes place during the events of “Black Colossus.” Roy Thomas beat Carter and de Camp to the punch with a direct sequel to “Black Colossus” titled “At the Mountain of the Moon-God” published in Savage Sword of Conan #3.

Roy Thomas’s sequel starts with Conan and Yasmela’s love making being interrupted when one of her spies brings her a map that shows where her brother King Khossus is being held captive. Conan decides to go and rescue the captive King.

It is known that Khossus is being held in Ophir somewhere and that King Strabonus of Koth also wants Khossus as a captive bargaining chip. Conan, along with two soldiers, follows the trail to the Mountain of the Moon-God to attempt to rescue Khossus. Things do not go smoothly. Conan encounters soldiers of both Ophir and Koth and has to fight off a pterosaur.

Once Khossus is rescued he gives Conan his approval to marry Yasmela. But during Conan’s time away she has taken up with Prince Katuman of Stygia. Conan takes her rejection quite easily, and in an oft-reprinted panel, hoists up two ladies he intends to bed.

Roy’s story is entertaining. There are sub-plots and foreshadowing to future adventures. All in all, a decent sequel. Therefore, it wasn’t necessary (and would conflict with his Marvel chronology) to have adapted Carter and de Camp’s later sequel.

Carter and de Camp’s sequel, published in Conan the Swordman, a few years after the Savage Sword of Conan story, covers the same ground but a bit differently. First de Camp sets the stage as usual:

We are introduced to Rhazes the astrologer who uses a mechanical device to help him with his prognostications. “I see three persons, all royal, either now, or formerly, or yet in times to come. One is a beautiful woman, caught in a web like unto a spider’s. Another is a young man of high estate surrounded by walls of massive stone. The third is a mighty man, older than the other but still youthful, and of vast and sanguinary prowess.”

After that, we see Conan trying to engage Yasmela’s time. “The princess prepares to receive the envoy from Shumir and cannot give you audience now.” Yasmela later allows Conan in to see her but resists his amorous intentions, “Not now, my love! You’d crumple my courtly rainment.” Conan asks her to marry him. Yasmela rejects the offer, “That cannot be, my love, so long as I am regent. Were my brother free, something might be arranged, even though marriage with a foreigner is much against our customs.”

Conan decides it’s time to free Khossus. Conan, a lockpick thief named Fronto, and Rhazes the astrologer set off on their mission. Fronto knows of a secret entrance to the prison holding Khossus. Rhazes displays real (and dangerous) magic along the way.

There are some subplots and double crosses. I won’t provide spoils. Suffice to say, Conan does rescue Khossus and he is a bit of a pompous youth. He tells Conan that the citizens of Khoraja would never accept Conan’s marriage to Yasmela. “Out of the question, my good General! You – a foriegn barbarian and vulgar mercenary – nay, friend Conan, think not upon the matter. I appreciate your heroism and owe my life to you, but I could not admit you into the royal family.”

Conan ponders his future: “This haughty but well-meaning young ass believed every word he spoke about his royal rights and duties. True, he could quietly kill the king and return to Khoraja with some cock-and-bull story about the idiot’s end. But to risk so much to rescue him, only to murder the fool, would be ridiculous.”

I laughed aloud reading this. That’s my Conan! Conan decides to abscond with Khossus’s money pouch and sail on to further adventures. Neither sequel was great, but I give the nod to Carter and de Camp (mainly for Conan musing about killing Khossus). Roy’s ending has Conan too nonchalant. (Although the hoisting of the ladies panel is great!) Carter and de Camp seem a bit truer to REH, in that Conan has more than just a superficial attraction to Yasmela. Conan realistically realizes he’d never be happy adhering to the civilized tomfoolery required of him if he stayed in Khoraja. And, as a guy, I prefer that it was his choice, rather than Yasmela’s.

Joseph Michael Linsner Artwork for Dark Horse Comics

The Lancer Conan Series: Black Colossus by Robert E. Howard

by Gary Romeo

“Black Colossus” first appeared in Weird Tales, June 1933. It was reprinted in Conan the Barbarian, Gnome Press, 1954. It is the second story in Conan the Freebooter, Lancer Books, 1968.

Marvel Comics adapted the story in the second issue of The Savage Sword of Conan. Dark Horse adapted it in Conan the Cimmerian #8 – 13.

It looks like L. Sprague de Camp did very little editing on this story. The only changes I found were very very minor: hyphens removed in “blood feuds” and “battle lines,” and a capitalization of “Hell.” Story breaks and chapter numbering are different in Weird Tales, the Lancers, and the Ballantine (Del Rey) books. Weird Tales and Lancer use Arabic Numerals, the Del Rey books use Roman Numerals to number chapters. Howard scholar, Rusty Burke informed me that REH used Arabic Numerals when typing. (It was a style choice to use Roman Numerals for the Del Rey books.) Also story breaks within the chapter are handled differently in each. Weird Tales uses no indentation and a special font for the first letter, Lancer ignores them entirely (that actually bothers me a bit), and the Del Rey books do not indent (like WT) but keep the font the same. See example below:

Howard scholar Patrice Louinet informed me that these story breaks come from Weird Tales, not the REH manuscripts. I like the breaks. I think it slows the reader down and gives time to process the story. Props to Farnsworth Wright.

Anyway, onward…

De Camp sets the stage for the story with a bad (and most likely sexist) joke.

Robert E. Howard starts the story with a quote from an E. Hoffmann Price story, “The Girl from Samarcand.” Price was the only fellow Weird Tales author to actually meet and visit REH. Price wrote of their meetings in several publications. (See the blogpost “The Price is Right” if interested.)

“Black Colossus” is a simple story told well. Princess Yasmela’s kingdom is in trouble. A tomb raider has revived an ancient evil. The god, Mitra, tells Yasmela to put her faith in Conan. There is an exciting battle and Conan saves the day. I’ll expand on certain elements but that is the story in a nutshell and it is a darn good one.

Big news! Mitra is aware of Conan. Crom ignores him but Mitra doesn’t. REH keeps it a bit nebulous here: “Mitra has spoken,” replied the princess. “It might have been the voice of a god, or a trick of a priest. No matter I will go.” Later in the series, and especially in the Tor pastiches, the gods take direct action, no “might” about it.

Conan is described as “a tall man, in the chain-mail hauberk of a mercenary.” Later he is described as having “mighty shoulders.”

Conan and Yasmela have a believable sexual relationship at the end of the story.. Yasmela is more Conan’s first great love than Belit. Let’s rehash Conan’s sex life a bit:

The first story where Conan is in a sexual relationship is “Rogues in the House” where the woman is a prostitute. “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” shows Conan capable of rape. “Queen of the Black Coast” was Belit saying (paraphrasing of course) “fuck me or die.” Which was more or less the same but never kept bargain Conan made with Livia in “The Vale of Lost Women.”

“Black Colossus” tells us about the first romantic relationship Conan really has. (The de Camp/Carter stories prior to this have Conan fornicating but in a non-emotional way.)

Seemingly REH begins to treat Conan as a “saga” with this story, foreshadowing (not the right word since “The Phoenix on the Sword” was published first but correct when reading the stories in this Lancer chronology) that Conan becomes a King later in life.

“”By Mitra,” said [Amalric] slowly, “I never expected to see you cased in coat armor, but you do not put it to shame. By my finger bones, Conan, I have seen kings who wore their harness less regally than you.” Conan was silent. A vague shadow crossed his mind like a prophecy. In the years to come he was to remember Amalric’s words, when the dream became the reality.”

REH also reintroduces Conan’s love of beef bones as food and weapon. There is a funny scene where Conan is introduced to other royals for the first time:

“Jerking aside the velvet curtains, [Yasmela] dramatically indicated the Cimmerian. It was perhaps not an entirely happy moment for the disclosure. Conan was sprawled in his chair, his feet propped on the ebony table, busily engaged in gnawing a beef bone which he gripped firmly in both hands. He glanced casually at the astounded nobles, grinned faintly at Amalric, and went on munching with undisguised relish.”

Later Conan uses another beef bone to brain one of his men who cowardly tries to flee the battlefield. That works to get the would be deserters back to their posts.

And this is the first story (chronologically) with Conan fully in charge. He has become a General. Prior to the events in this story he had a been a captain in Turan, a leader of mercenaries and corsairs, and a captain in Amalric’s mercenary band but now he is a General in a civilized Hyborian kingdom.

The story by itself is simple but all the details turn this into a seminal story for Conan. He is now a leader of men. Conan’s desire to pursue his own destiny will have Conan forgoing Yasmela’s love. But that is looking past this story. Without that larger context this story ends the way it should. With Conan and Yasmela in a passionate embrace!