CONAN THE BARBARIAN #3

Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creasing or spine stress; edges appear clean with no chips. Book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment of surface and edge condition, and interior/back cover were not evaluated. Minor handling wear cannot be ruled out due to glare from the plastic sleeve.

Conan the Barbarian #3 closes out Marvel's brief 1997 attempt to revive the Cimmerian in a new ongoing series, this time under the Volume 2 banner. The three-issue miniseries-in-disguise was written by novelist Roland Green, better known for tie-in fantasy fiction than comics scripting, with art and covers supplied by Italian artist Claudio Castellini, whose painterly, muscular style suited the character's pulp roots. The issue features Conan alongside Vessila, a supporting character introduced for this short run, and carries the expected editorial credits of the era including Bob Harras and Joe Andreani.

This is a low-demand modern-era book with no fair-market listing tracked, which is typical for a three-issue Conan revival that came and went without lasting traction. The character has been through numerous publishers and relaunches, and issues from this particular 1997 attempt are not sought after the way the original 1970s Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith run or the later Dark Horse era books are. Raw copies trade at or near cover price in the secondary market, reflecting ample supply and minimal collector competition.

This is a book for Conan completists filling out a publication history rather than for investors or character-key hunters. Raw copies are inexpensive and easy to source in any condition. Certified 9.8 examples occasionally surface and can bring a modest premium simply due to the small number of submissions for this short-lived volume, not because of any inherent significance to the issue itself. Most collectors will encounter this title as part of a longer run acquisition rather than as a standalone purchase.