L'Inattendu #7
"Ballade pour un mort-vivant" is a standout entry in the Conan saga, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated with striking detail by Barry Smith, whose inks bring the grim atmosphere of Zahmahn to life. When Queen Fatima, Conan’s lover and ruler of the city-state, discovers him with the servant girl Yaila, the three are cast into a dungeon to be consumed by the Dweller in the Dark—only to escape, setting off a chain of events that upends the city’s traditions. The cover by Gil Kane and John Romita captures the tale’s gothic intensity, making this 1976 French release a memorable chapter in Conan’s legend.
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Conan becomes Captain of the royal guard in the small city-state of Zahmahn as well as the lover of Queen Fatima. When the Queen catches Conan with the servant girl Yaila in a delicate situation, she leaves them in the dungeon to be devoured by the Dweller in the Dark. They manage to escape, however, and Conan throws the Queen to the monster. According to tradition, Zahmahn can only be ruled by a female sovereign, so Conan nominates Yaila as the new queen.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).