Night of the Dark God

"Night of the Dark God" is a free comic adaption based on the story "The Dark Man" by Roy Thomas, but with Conan as the main character.

Plot Summary

Conan, feeling a longing for home has ridden straight through to Cimmeria and his home village, which he discovers has recently been raided by Vanir and a childhood friend taken. He tracks the Vanir and borrows a boat from a fisherman to finish the journey to the Isle of Swords. He finds an boatload of dead Picts floating on the sea, and takes a surprisingly lightweight statue he finds on board with him on his journey. Finally, he reaches the Isle of Swords and begins to spy on the Vanir encampment. The Vanir find his boat and take the statute to their camp, but for them, the statue is impossibly heavy. Conan makes his way into the camp, killing witnesses, until he finds the drinking-hall, where Mara is about to be an unwilling bride to the brigands' leader, Thorfel. Before ayone to act, though, Mara steals Thorfel's dagger and plunges it into her chest. Enraged, Conan bursts from hiding and begins to slaughter the brigands. The odds begin to turn against the barbarian, until the doors burst open and the hall is full of the dead Pict sailors, resurrected by the Dark God statue that sits in the hall. Conan is free to find and kill Thorfel, then he sails quietly away.

Characters

• Conan (Main)
• Mara (Minor)
• Thorfel (Minor)
• Brogar (Minor)

Locations

• Isle of Swords
• Vanaheim

Notes

• The inkers of this story are Neal Adams, Pablo Marcos, Frank McLaughlin, and Vince Colletta.
• The Dark God statue is the image of King Kull's friend Brule the Spear-Slayer.
• Isle of Swords is supposed to be located in vast lake in Vanaheim, but that may also mean a sea since Pict sailors occurs in this story as well.

Publication History

• "Night of the Dark God" • Roy Thomas • Gil Kane, Neal Adams (art) • Savage Tales #4 (comic) May 1974