Conan the Barbarian #17
Conan the Barbarian #17 marks the first issue penciled by Gil Kane on the series, signaling a significant artistic transition after Barry Windsor-Smith's celebrated early run. Roy Thomas's adaptation transplants a Robert E. Howard Cthulhu Mythos tale — originally starring the Celtic warrior Turlogh O'Brien — into the Hyborian Age, demonstrating the creative breadth that made the Marvel Conan line more than a straightforward Howard tribute. The issue also arrives at a turning point for the series itself: the book was returning to monthly publication after a period as a bimonthly, reflecting measurably rising reader demand. Together with its concluding chapter in issue #18, it stands as the first full story arc of the Bronze Age Conan era not drawn by Windsor-Smith, and introduces the recurring supporting character Fafnir in a meaningful role.
In "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth," Conan and Fafnir the Vanir find themselves stranded on a forgotten island where ancient rituals and buried power shape destiny. With survival at stake, the two warriors must set aside their differences, rescue a mysterious girl named Kyrie, and confront the fanatical high priest Gothan in a battle that will decide the fate of a lost kingdom. Written by Roy Thomas and brought to life by Gil Kane’s dynamic art and Ralph Reese’s bold inks, with lettering by Jon Costa, the cover by Gil Kane and Frank Brunner captures the island’s eerie grandeur.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 14 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.6 ▾ $165–$265 3 listings
Raw — FN/VF ▾ $19.99 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $3.19–$27.54 19 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
When the Conan series launched in 1970, writer Roy Thomas had originally wanted Gil Kane as the series artist, but Marvel publisher Martin Goodman's insistence on keeping page rates low on the unproven title made Kane unavailable — opening the door instead for the younger Barry Windsor-Smith. By mid-1972, with sales strong enough to justify top page rates, Kane finally got his chance and signed on for issues #17 and #18, adapting 'The Gods of Bal-Sagoth,' a Howard story Kane had personally optioned years earlier. The cover was penciled by Kane and inked by Frank Brunner, while the interior story was inked by Ralph Reese; according to Thomas, Kane found the workload demanding even at Marvel's higher pay scale, and chose to leave the assignment after only the two-issue arc, which then allowed Windsor-Smith to return to the book for issue #19.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated August 1972, on-sale May 23, 1972; published by Marvel Comics as part of the ongoing Conan the Barbarian series (1970–1993).
- Written by Roy Thomas; penciled by Gil Kane; inked by Ralph Reese; cover pencils by Gil Kane with inks by Frank Brunner; edited by Stan Lee.
- Gil Kane's first issue as penciler on the series, replacing Barry Windsor-Smith who had handled the book from its launch.
- Adapts Robert E. Howard's 'The Gods of Bal-Sagoth,' originally published in Weird Tales (October 1931) and featuring the Celtic hero Turlogh O'Brien — not Conan — placing it within Howard's Cthulhu Mythos.
- Thomas replaced Howard's original companion character Athelstane with Fafnir, a Vanir warrior previously introduced in Conan the Barbarian #6, giving the Fafhrd-analogue character a more substantive role in the series.
- First appearances of Kyrie/Aala, the lizard-god Groth-Golka, high priest Old Gothan, King Ska of Bal-Sagoth, and the animated armor Vertorix.
- Issue #17 is the first part of a two-part arc concluded in Conan the Barbarian #18 ('The Thing in the Temple!'); it was reprinted in Dark Horse's Chronicles of Conan Vol. 3 and collected in Marvel's Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 2.
- The letters page for this issue contains a letter from future comic writer J.M. DeMatteis, as well as nominations for the 1971 Shazam Awards (Academy of Comic Book Arts).
Cast · 1 character
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Savage Sword of Conan #17 (1975), The Savage Sword of Conan #13 (1976), Conan #1 (1977), Conan de barbaar #2 (1979), Conan el Bárbaro #77 (1985), Conan Saga #10 (1988), Conan Le Barbare #34 (1992), Conan Saga #75 (1993), Conan Saga #3 (1994), Conan el bárbaro #17 (1998), Essential Conan #1 (2000), Conan #12/2001 (2001), The Chronicles of Conan #3 (2003), Conan el Bárbaro. Edición 35 Aniversario #[nn] (2017), Legenden om Conan #3 (2017), Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #1 (2018), True Believers: Conan - The Devil-God of Bal-Sagoth! #[nn] (2019), Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Epic Collection #2 (2021), Conan The Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus #1 (2024), Conan #2, Conan #4/1974, Conan el Bárbaro #10, Conan el Bárbaro #15
Key issues in Conan the Barbarian
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.