Conan the Barbarian #18
Conan the Barbarian #18 closes out the two-part 'Gods of Bal-Sagoth' adaptation and marks a pivotal structural moment in Roy Thomas's run: it introduces Yezdigerd, Prince of Turan, who becomes one of Conan's most persistent recurring antagonists across dozens of subsequent issues and serves as the engine of the entire Vilayet Sea story cycle that follows. The issue also showcases Thomas's distinctive editorial practice of 'Conan-izing' non-Conan Robert E. Howard fiction — transplanting Howard's pre-existing Hyborian-Age-adjacent tales into the Marvel continuity — a method that meaningfully expanded the breadth and mythology of the Bronze Age series. As the final chapter penciled by Gil Kane during his brief, celebrated two-issue tenure as fill-in artist, it also represents a unique transitional artifact between two defining eras of the early title.
In "The Thing in the Temple!", Conan and his companion Fafnir escape the collapsing island city of Bal-Sagoth as a volcano erupts beneath them, fleeing demons and doom. Picked up by the enigmatic Yezdigerd from the sea, their survival hangs in the balance as the true horror of the temple’s secret begins to stir. Written by Roy Thomas and brought to life by Gil Kane’s dynamic art with Dan Adkins’ inks, this 1972 Marvel classic features cover art by Gil Kane and John Romita.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
After Barry Windsor-Smith stepped away from the series following issue #16, editor and writer Roy Thomas turned to veteran artist Gil Kane — a personal first choice for the book who had previously been unavailable — to helm the two-part 'Gods of Bal-Sagoth' arc across issues #17 and #18. According to Thomas, Kane ultimately chose to leave after these two issues because the workload demanded by the book outweighed even Marvel's relatively high page rates at the time; had Kane stayed, Windsor-Smith's return for issue #19 would not have been possible. The interior art was inked by Dan Adkins, with the cover inked by John Romita Sr. over Kane's pencils.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title: 'The Thing in the Temple!' — Part 2 of a two-part story arc; release date June 20, 1972; cover date September 1972.
- Written by Roy Thomas; penciled by Gil Kane; inked by Dan Adkins; cover pencils by Gil Kane, cover inks by John Romita Sr.
- First appearance of Yezdigerd (Prince of Turan), who rescues Conan and Fafnir from the sea at the story's conclusion and becomes a major recurring antagonist in the Vilayet Sea cycle.
- Adapts 'The Gods of Bal-Sagoth,' a non-Conan fantasy story by Robert E. Howard, reworked by Roy Thomas to feature Conan — one of several such 'Conan-ized' Howard adaptations in this era of the run.
- The island city of Bal-Sagoth is destroyed by a volcanic eruption at the story's climax, with Conan and his Vanir companion Fafnir as the sole survivors.
- Gil Kane served as a temporary fill-in for Barry Windsor-Smith, who was absent for issues #17–18 and returned beginning with issue #19.
- The issue has been reprinted in: Dark Horse's Chronicles of Conan Vol. 3 (2003), Marvel's Essential Conan Vol. 1 (2000, black and white), Marvel's Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 1 (2018), and Titan's Conan the Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol. 1 (2024).
- The letters column features a contribution from Ted White, then editor of the science-fiction magazines Amazing and Fantastic, reflecting the crossover readership between SF/fantasy prose and Marvel's Conan comics in the early 1970s.
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Reprinted in Savage Sword of Conan #18 (1975), The Savage Sword of Conan #13 (1976), Conan #1 (1977), Conan #3 (1978), Conan #4 (1978), Conan #5 (1978), Conan #6 (1978), Conan #7 (1978), Conan el Bárbaro #77 (1985), Conan el Bárbaro #78 (1985), Conan Saga #11 (1988), Conan Le Barbare #35 (1993), Conan Saga #75 (1993), Conan Saga #4 (1994), Conan el bárbaro #18 (1998), Essential Conan #1 (2000), Conan #12/2001 (2001), A Espada Selvagem de Conan #205 (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), Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Epic Collection #2 (2021), Conan The Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus #1 (2024) + 4 more
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