Conan the Barbarian #100 (Marvel Comics, 1979)

Whether you liked or loathed Bêlit, fans of Robert E. Howard's original stories always knew her time with Conan would be short (even though in comic book years, it ran for a long time!)

After 42 issues together (starting in Conan the Barbarian #58), Conan's girlfriend finally meets her end in a fairly accurate retelling of Howard's memorable, grim story, "The Queen of the Black Coast." Costing 60 cents, which was 20 cents more than a usual issue in 1979, and spanning 34 pages of art, 12 more than usual, this Conan the Barbarian special tells the tragic tale of the pirate Bêlit, and how her greed finally got the best of her.

Bêlit and Conan have been on numerous adventures, slayed a multitude of enemies, and plundered scores of loot. She gave up the throne of Asgalun to continue terrorizing the Western Sea on her boat, The Tigress, with her mate Conan. All the while, though, Bêlit rarely learned from her mistakes and was always driven by greed and the need for more.

The Tigress approaches a place which has been haunting her dreams for days, called the River Zarkheba (which, apparently, translates into Death in Cimmerian... so, perhaps a good river to avoid?)

Its waters are poisonous and filled with monsters, but there are rumors of a city filled with riches hidden deep in the jungle along its shores, and that's all that matters to Bêlit. She tells a story of a time, years ago, when she witnessed a galley come down the river, dripping with blood, with only one stark-raving-mad crew member on board. Yet, still she wants to go!

Though visibly skeptical, Conan agrees, and the two share some personal, reflective time on the journey, until The Tigress is attacked by a gigantic snake monster, which grabs one of the crew and then disappears beneath the murky waters. Even Bêlit's advisor N'Yaga tells her that the journey is foolish and that it's time to turn back.

Stubborn as always, Bêlit continues until The Tigress reaches a Ghost City with crumbling walls and spires. Atop one of the spires sits a monster that spreads its wings and flies away. Still, the allure of gold drives Bêlit forward.

After Bêlit sacrifices four of her men moving an altar to search for riches, even Conan begins to wonder if this haunted place is affecting her. But, before he can drag her away, Bêlit discovers a stash of riches beyond her imagination, which causes a distraction because something sneaks on board The Tigress and poisons their supply of fresh water. Without fresh water, they can not make their return journey to the sea.

While Bêlit loads the riches on board, Conan and others journey into the jungle in search of fresh water. What they find is death. While leading a party, Conan stumbles into a cluster of poisonous Black Lotus flowers, which sends him on a psychedelic trip into the jungle's forgotten history.

Thousands of years ago, before Conan's primordial ancestors even crawled out of the sea, the Dark City was once a gleaming city filled with heroic, winged giants, until a cataclysm that caused earthquakes and caused the poisonous river to overflow its banks. The city crumbled, the fertile valley turned into a dank jungle, and the beautiful winged inhabitants who drank the water devolved into hideous monsters

In the eons that passed, all humans who approached the city were turned into hyenas as they slept.

It would seem that only Conan is bad-ass enough to survive the effects of the Black Lotus and resist any black magic. When he awakes, he finds most of The Tigress' crew either dead or driven mad. He kills his old friend M'Gora, driven crazy and murderous with rage, and then discovers Bêlit strung up on the yard-arm of her own galley by a string of red jewels.

Conan has little time to ponder her fate, because that night he alone battles an army of hungry hyenas in the moonlight. One by one, he defeats them all until the winged monster attacks from above. The crumbling city pins Conan beneath a pillar, but before the monster tears him to pieces, the ghost of Bêlit appears and offers a hand. Conan breaks free and skewers the monster, the last of the original winged inhabitants. The corpses of the hyenas surrounding him turn back into human bodies.

He lays Bêlit's body on the deck and sails The Tigress back down the river to the sea, where he cuts it loose and sets it afire.

Conan is free to continue his womanizing, boozing, wenching, barbarian ways in Conan the Barbarian #101. How does he get off the beach without a ride, though?