TAURUSTAURUS
Real Name: Taurus
Identity/Class: Human, Nemedian (Hyborian Era)
Occupation: Thief
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Conan the Cimmerian
Enemies: Yara, a guard
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Prince of Thieves
Base of Operations: Arenjun (Zamora)
First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#4 (April, 1971) {Edizione Italiana: Albi dei Super-Eroi#16 Editoriale Corno}
Powers/Abilities: None. Taurus is a normal human but is highly trained and skilled in hiding, crawling, climbing, sneaking, lockpicking and all the activities a good thief should have. He knew how to use drugs derived from the black lotus, and he used a special rope.
History:
(Conan the Barbarian I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Taurus was a so brilliant a thief that he
became famous as the Prince of Thieves.
(Conan the Barbarian I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Taurus, in Arenjun, heard about the "Heart of the Elephant" a great jewel of incalculable value, belonging to Yara, a dreadful sorcerer living in the Tower of the Elephant. Taurus decided to rob the jewel and prepared to the theft. He procured a powder derived from some black lotus, and a thin rope, made by the dead women's hairs taken at midnight.
(Conan the Barbarian I#4) - The night of the theft he entered
the garden of the Tower of the Elephant, Yara's home, and killed the guard at
the door. Some moments later he saw another men in the shadows but he recognized
that the man wasn't a guard but a thief like him. So, he met Conan of Cimmeria.
The two decided to steal Yara's trasures together. Suddenly they were attacked
by some silent lions. Taurus darted a yellow-green powder to the lions
killing them almost instantly. Then, Taurus flung the hook with
the rope on the top of the tower. They were attacked by another mute lion but
Conan acted just in time to kill the feline.
The two climbed the tower. Its walls were full of shining
stones, crystals and precious gems. But the two didn't stopped because Taurus wanted to reach "The
Heart of the Elephant," which was more valuable than all of the other gems
put together. Once on the top, Taurus
asked Conan to wait for a while and determine if any guard had sensed them.
Actually Taurus wanted to reach the Heart first. So he entered in the tower,
but he was attacked and bitten by Yara's treasure guardian: a giant black spider. Taurus
had just the forces to reach the door again and fall in Conan's arms, and died.
His body was buried under tons of debris, after the Tower of the Elephant
crumbled in thousands of shimmering pieces.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomans, Barry Smith and Sal Buscema. Re-told by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala.
The story was re-told years later in Savage
Sword of Conan#24. Roy Thomas decided so because this was his favorite Conan's
story and because SSoC#24 had more pages and it could better describe the
original Howard's novel. Some particulars were different but the history
basically remains the same of CB#4.
Although I love B.W.Smith's art, and CB#4 was colored, I still prefer the
SSoC#24 B/W version by Buscema/Alcala: a masterpiece!
Clarifications:
Taurus has no known connections to
Images:
Conan the Barbarian I#4, p7, pan5 (Taurus, full body)
Conan the Barbarian I#4, p7, pan2 (Taurus, head shot)
Other appearances: Savage Sword of Conan #24 (1977) {Edizione Italiana: Conan La Spada Selvaggia#13 Comic Art (novembre 1987)}
Last updated: 11/18/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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