Conan the Barbarian #137 – “Titan’s Gambit” – Bruce Jones/Alfredo Alcala
This one starts at the court of King Arvenger of Voldhom, where a dwarf (Twillo) and a dim-witted behemoth (Bolo) are in attendance. Some peasants have brought in a “champion” (a huge bear)to fight Bolo, who seems too gentle for such sport … until Twillo plays a certain song on his flute. That song brings back memories of how Bolo’s parents were butchered, which makes him go crazy with rage and kill the bear with his bare hands. The peasants are compelled to pay since they lost and they wonder if anyone can stand against Bolo’s might. Elsewhere, Conan is hanging out in
a tavern with a couple of wenches when they’re disturbed by some brawling patrons. Conan takes exception and pounds the crap out of everyone, including some trained fighters belonging to a gypsy named Grendl. He figures Conan will be a good replacement for the men he pounded and tells him how King Arvenger has been using Bolo to bleed the people of the townships dry, forcing them to send champions to face Bolo and wager on the fights. Grendl mentions that Arvenger has wagered his considerable treasury (including an almost legendary statue known as the Gold Monika) if anyone can beat Bolo, and Grendl thinks 
Conan can do it. First Conan has to prove himself by defeating other fighters in the district, which he does quite easily, earning himself a shot at Bolo. As soon as they start fighting, Conan realizes Bolo is stronger than any of his other opponents, but he soon realizes that the tune the dwarf is playing is what’s making Bolo so aggressive. Conan tosses the giant at the treasury door, knocking it down, and Bolo spies the Gold Monika within. That cuts through the rage caused by the song, since the statue was sculpted by his father, using his mother as a subject. Bolo remembers how Arvenger and Twillo were part of the group that killed his parents and he goes nuts, killing Twillo. Arvenger orders his men to kill
Conan and Bolo, so they end up standing together (along with Grendl) against the guards. Bolo kills Arvenger and the three of them use one of the columns to crush the guards, which smashes a hole in the treasury wall, spilling the loot outside where the peasants can reclaim it. This is a pretty good story, with Conan Facing off against Bolo but ending up on the same side. I like Alcala’s art; the fight scenes are very dynamic and he’s good at drawing people (the wenches certainly look good).
Conan the Barbarian #138 – “Isle of the Dead” – Bruce Jones/Val Mayerik
This one starts with Conan riding near the Bossonian Marches when he hears the sounds of combat. He finds someone fighting a giant crab (even though they’re nowhere near the coast) and jumps in to help. When the creature is dead, Conan finds he’s rescued Pelija Lon, whose life he saved just a few issues ago. She mentions her father being trapped in the realm of the snake goddess and admits she still loves her father, in spite of his evil deeds. The forest is suddenly inundated with water and they’re attacked by a giant octopus. Conan slices its tentacles off but they run into a strange invisible barrier when they try to swim away. They see a gigantic eye peering at them and soon realize they’re inside a huge
fish bowl. Conan manages to smash the bowl and they end up in a wizard’s chamber. Conan is ready to slay the sorcerer until Pelija recognizes him as her uncle, Revelle, who says he has an offer for the barbarian. Revelle tells them how he and Eshe Lon studied sorcery under Thoth-Amon and how Eshe received an amulet of Set that turned him evil. He’s now imprisoned on an island in a different plane, but Revelle can send Conan and Pelija there to rescue him. Revelle says if the amulet is removed from Eshe, he’ll go back to his old self and no longer 
be evil. Conan isn’t interested in doing Revelle’s dirty work, but the wizard sends him and Pelija to the demi-plane anyway, telling them they have only a short time to get the amulet or they’ll be trapped there forever. They find the castle where Eshe is being held, but have to get past the guards outside … living reptilian statues in armour. Conan crushes the living statues and heads inside. He and Pelija end up falling into a pit of vipers, but none of their bites seem to harm the duo, so Conan wonders if Revelle is protecting them with some kind of spell. They continue on and Pelija is grabbed and taken to a torture chamber, where she’s wounded only slightly by some lizard-men. Conan follows and wastes some of them, scattering the rest. But he wonders if the whole thing is an elaborate trap, since Pelija is barely wounded and the lizard-men seemed to
run away a little too easily. They find Eshe and get into his cell, but he doesn’t respond to their words. Conan takes the amulet from Eshe’s neck and that does get a response … Eshe turns into a snake-man and prepares to attack them. This is a pretty good story, another one that has D&D vibes. The adversaries (living statues, lizard-men) and the situations (the snake pit and travelling to a demi-plane) remind me of things that could happen in a D&D adventure. Pelija even acts like a typical sidekick sometimes, but I’m hoping she’ll be more proactive in the next issue.