Conan the Barbarian #75 – “The Hawk-Riders of Harakht” – Roy Thomas/John Buscema/Ernie Chan
This one continues from last issue, with Conan, Bêlit, and former slave-girl Neftha admiring their handiwork as they watch the Stygian ships burn in the harbour of Khemi. They make their way through the dark streets to a trader Neftha has heard tell of, forcing their way into his house. The trader is taking fine goods up the river to Luxur, which is where Bêlit wants to go since she believes her father is being held captive there. The
trader isn’t happy about having passengers, but they give him little choice. For the crew’s sake, Conan pretends to be a flesh-peddler going to Luxur to sell Bêlit and Neftha, whose skins are darkened to hide their foreign origins. They make their way upriver but when they pass the city of Harakht (the Hawk-God), the trader gets worried and orders double speed. He explains that the city only nominally pays tribute to the Stygian king, but the king is reluctant to do anything since Harakht sits halfway between Luxur and Khemi, keeping the Shemites from pouring into Stygia. The trader’s fears soon manifest, as the boat is attacked by men riding giant falcons. The trader is killed by an arrow and most of the crew jump into the river, only to be devoured by crocodiles. Bêlit is grabbed 
by a falcon and Conan jumps on another one hoping to follow. He tosses the rider off but is forced to kill the giant bird to keep from being thrown himself. He crash-lands in the swamp and has to kill a crocodile with a dagger. He knows Bêlit has been taken to the city of Harakht and vows to follow and rescue her. This is a pretty good issue with some cool fights. The fight between Conan and the falcon is great, as is the struggle with the crocodile. I’m not sure what happened to Neftha after Conan jumped on the giant bird, but I’m assuming she was taken by the hawk-riders too. Harakht is apparently another name for Horus, so Roy was sticking with the Egyptian theme, which makes sense since Robert E. Howard based Stygia on Ancient Egypt.
Conan the Barbarian #76 – “Swordless in Stygia” – Roy Thomas/John Buscema/Ernie Chan
This one continues from the issue above, with Conan finding the hawk-helm of the rider he killed and putting it on, thinking it might help him gain entry to the city. Bêlit has already been taken to the city and gets knocked out when she tries to fight her captors. She and Neftha are forced to bathe before being presented to the king and all the dark dye is washed from their bodies, revealing them as foreigners. The king (Hor-Neb) wants Bêlit and Neftha for his harem, but the city’s head priest (Mer-Ath) shows up to remind Hor-Neb that they’re co-rulers of the city. Mer-Ath wants Bêlit to
serve as a temple wench but after a tense argument, Hor-Neb claims Bêlit and gives Neftha to Mer-Ath. Bêlit remarks on the rivalry between the two rulers and Hor-Neb tells her that the high priest is his brother. Meanwhile, Conan has reached the city and bluffed his way through the gates, taking out a couple of guards as soon as he’s inside. Neftha plays the compliant servant to Mer-Ath, who opens up about the rivalry with his brother. He tells her how Hor-Neb found the giant falcon eggs on a scouting trip, where he also found the fragment of a meteorite. Hor-Neb hid the meteor fragment somewhere, but Mer-Ath is more worried about what the Stygian king will do when he finds out Hor-
Neb is now using the giant falcons to prey on the river traders. They’re interrupted by the sounds of a fight in the streets. It’s Conan (of course) fighting some more guards, causing Bêlit to attack the guards in the throne room so she can get out and join her lover. Conan takes out some guards and flees from the rest, toppling a huge statue of the hawk-god Harakht on their heads. Hor-Neb threatens to kill Bêlit to force Conan’s surrender and offers to let them live if Bêlit brings her corsairs inland to join Hor-Neb’s ranks, promising to throw Conan in the Pit of Shadow if she refuses. To spare Conan’s life Bêlit considers it, but Conan takes the decision out of her hands by jumping into the Pit. He finds the meteor fragment in the Pit, but before he can touch it
he’s accosted by the meteor’s gigantic protector, Gol-Thir. This is another pretty good issue, although it seems like mostly set-up. The rivalry between the brother kings is interesting and fits what would’ve been happening in cities all over the world in the brutal Hyborean days. I’m still not sure what Neftha’s story is, but I guess we’ll find out. Once again, it’s good to see Bêlit fighting back instead of just waiting for Conan to rescue her.