Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #3

In "The Altar and the Scorpion!", Conan traverses the treacherous Plain of Shamu, where he faces a monstrous bull and a fearsome giant scorpion in a brutal test of strength and cunning. Amid the sands and ancient ruins of Belverus, he claims a cloak and mail-shirt, marking his rise as a warrior forged in fire—and encounters the enigmatic Tara of Hanumar for the first time.

In "The Strange High Tower in the Mist!", Conan and his companions journey toward Messantia when they stumble upon a city shrouded in mist, its towers rising like bones from the fog. Drawn into a deadly trap, Conan must face a Bat-Demon guarding a captive girl, only to discover the city itself is a living, ancient illusion — a sentient construct built by the deformed Mad Jakk to lure and trap wanderers.

In "Incident in Argos!", Conan finds himself entangled in a web of betrayal and danger upon arriving in Messantia, where a clash with the Royal Guard quickly turns deadly. Trapped and hunted, he seeks refuge with the enigmatic fortune teller Momratha, whose visions hint at a future both perilous and uncertain, while his companions Yusuf and Tara flee from their own pursuers.

In "Queen of the Black Coast!", Conan flees Messantia’s justice only to find himself aboard a ship bound for the southern seas—where fate delivers him to the fierce pirate queen Bêlit and her Black Corsairs. Forced to prove himself in combat against the warrior Odongo, Conan emerges victorious, earning not only his life but Bêlit’s respect—and a place at her side as her second-in-command. Their bond forms quickly, forged in blood and shared ambition as they sail the dark waters of Kush.

In this gripping tale from *Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #3*, Conan listens as N’Yaga recounts the legend of Bêlit—daughter of a murdered king, raised in secret by a tribe that worships her as the mortal daughter of the goddess Derketa. Fleeing a deadly mission meant to end her life, Bêlit forged a new path as a pirate, driven by a thirst for vengeance and the dream of reclaiming her stolen throne.

In "On the Track of the She-Pirate!", Conan follows a trail through the dense jungles of Watambi Village, where betrayal brews beneath the surface as Kawaku plots mutiny. With Belit in peril and a giant moth looming, Conan must fend off crocodile warriors while racing to rescue her—before the jungle claims them both.

In "Fiends of the Feathered Serpent!", Conan finds himself stranded on a cursed island ruled by ancient horrors, where the legacy of the ruthless Ahmaan the Merciless still stirs in the shadows. As he battles monstrous guardians and confronts the deadly Tez, the line between vengeance and survival blurs—especially when a colossal feathered serpent awakens from its slumber.

In "Talons of the Man-Tiger!", Conan battles a monstrous feline beast to free the imprisoned Yusef, while Red Sonja bests Bêlit in combat and claims a page from the fabled Book of Skelos. With the man-tiger slain and the prison broken, Conan and Bêlit take up the chase after Red Sonja in a final, tense panel.

In "The Demon out of the Deep!", Conan recounts a harrowing tale from his youth to Belit as they sail near the Western Sea. Captured by the villagers of Vanir, he is forced to confront a monstrous creature from the deep—its arrival stirring dread and bloodshed among the people. As the waters churn and the villagers fall one by one, Conan must face the beast that rises from the abyss.

In "The City in the Storm!", Conan, Bêlit, and the Black Corsairs fight to hold the port city of Kelka against the ruthless pirate Auro and his Argossean raiders. After the battle, they are betrayed and captured by Kelka’s ruler, Akkheba, who offers them wine that soon clouds their minds.

In "The Secret of Ashtoreth!", Conan and Belit flee the island city of Kelka, where they free the captive Astarta before the city is swallowed by a wrathful sea-god. As treachery unfolds and loyalties are tested, the pair must survive betrayal from within—Kawaku's betrayal and Belit’s deadly clash with Akkheba—before the island’s ancient secrets claim them all.

In "The Battle at the Black Walls!", Conan and Belit storm the black-walled port city of Khemi, drawn by a cryptic visit from Thoth-Amon in a dream. With Neftha in peril, the duo fights their way through enemy ships, battles a monstrous sea-serpent, and sets fire to the Khemi navy in a blaze of steel and sorcery.

In "The Hawk-Riders of Harakht!", Conan tracks a band of fearsome hawk-riders through the treacherous lands near the river Styx, where Belit has been taken captive by the aerial warriors of Harakht. With the city of Khemi looming in the distance and danger lurking in every shadow, Conan faces down a monstrous hawk and a deadly crocodile before setting out to rescue her.

In "Curse of the Undead-Man," Conan and Red Sonja face off against the resurrected Costranno in the treacherous streets of Zamora's City of Thieves, where a cursed ring holds the power to bring the dead back to life—each time the ring reattaches to his severed finger, Costranno rises anew. The duo must outwit a foe who refuses to stay dead, testing their courage and cunning in a deadly game of life and death.