| Conan the Barbarian #43 | |
| |
| Date: | October, 1974 |
| Cover: | Gil Kane |
| Writer: | Roy Thomas |
| Penciller: | John Buscema |
| Inker: | Ernie Chan |
| Colorist: | Glynis Wein |
| Letterer: | John Costanza |
| Editor: | Roy Thomas |
| Title: | "Tower of Blood" |
Major Characters[]
- Conan (Previous chronological appearance in first story of SS-1; next appearance in CB-44).
- Red Sonja (Previous chronological appearance in first story of SS-1; next appearance in CB-44).
- Thoth-Amon (Named only; previous mention in ??)
Minor Characters[]
- Mamnon of Ophir and his bounty hunters (First and only appearance to date; all but Mamnon die in this issue). Laxil is named.
- Uathacht and Morophia (First appearance; both appear next in CB-44). Immortal vampires.
- Dromek (First and only appearance to date; dies in this issue). Deformed monster.
Location[]
- The desert a day's ride outside of Aernjun.
Time Frame[]
- One day.
Synopsis[]
Conan and Red Sonja are being chased by bounty hunters after leaving the city of Arenjun with a suspicion of murder charge hanging over their heads. An arrow topples Sonja's mount, and Conan scoops her up as they make their way into a rocky, mountainous pass. They are forced to abandon their other horse as they reach a cavern in the cliffs, and Conan takes advantage of a loose boulder to topple on the pursuing bounty hunter, killing all but their leader, Mamnon, who flees to get more help. The two wander into the gigantic, red-misted cavern, and are attacked by a humanoind bat creature. They find a structure at the center of the fog, but are mystically attacked and rendered unconscious. Conan awakes first, to face Uathacht and her brother Morophla, immortal vampires cursed by Thoth-Amon, while the bat-creatures outside are creations called Afterlings. Morophla seems to have full power of Conan's actions, and forces him to carry Sonja to Dromek, a hideous creature who was used as a breeder for the brother and sister's food supply, but has since devolved into a monster. Uathacht pushes Sonja into Dromek's pit, but Conan jumps in and slays the creature. Conan and Sonja are brought to a cell where they await their fate...
Notes[]
- Freely adapted from a story by David A. English from the magazine Witchcraft and Sorcery (v1 #5, Jan-Feb '71).
- Doctor Strange v3 #11 establishes Morophla and Uathacht as bonafide vampires (and by extension a connection to the Marvel Universe), but Roy Thomas has claimed they aren't "true" vampires.
Reprinted[]
| Conan Chronology | ||
| Previous Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan #1 |
Conan the Barbarian #43 | Next Appearance: Conan the Barbarian #44 |
| Conan the Barbarian | ||
| Previous Issue: Conan the Barbarian #42 |
Conan the Barbarian #43 | Next Issue: Conan the Barbarian #44 |