AKET-ATUM

Real Name: Aket-Atum

Identity/Class: Magic-user;
    Hyborian era;
    Stygian

Occupation: Spy, sorcerer

Group Membership: The Black Ring

Affiliations: King Ferdrugo of Kordava, Heronan da Varza and crew, Set

Enemies: Conan and the Zingaran buccaneer crew of the Wastrel;
    Zingaran royal court

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed; perhaps Arallu or Duat or some other underworld;
    formerly the ship of Heronan da Varza;
    formerly Kordava;
    formerly Stygia;

First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan#67 (August, 1981)

Powers/Abilities: Aken-Atum had an unspecified number of magical abilities. At a minimum, he could cast a quickly-worded spell (in a long dead language), he could cause sudden and severe weakness, forcing even someone with Conan's constitution to drop his sword and fall to his knees; however, Conan, at least, retained sufficient strength to draw and hurl a dagger with sufficient force to sink it to the hilt in his chest.

Height: Unrevealed (he looked smaller than the warriors around him, so perhaps 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 140 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (presumably brown)
Hair: Unrevealed (possibly white or gray)

History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#67 (fb) - BTS) - A minor sorcerer of the Black Ring serving as spy to Kordavan King Ferdrugo, Aket-Atum was sent with nobleman Heronan da Varza to be taken aboard a ship to the royal court of Zingara.

(Savage Sword of Conan#67 - BTS) - As they headed toward Zingara, Heronan da Varza had his crew assault the Wastrel. It's captain, Conan, turned the ship back towards their attackers and had his crew board Heronan da Varza's ship.

(Savage Sword of Conan#67) - As Heronan da Varza rallied his crew, Conan spotted Aket-Atum standing silently behind him, figuring him perhaps to be a noble of Zingara, whose capture or death might put an end to the fight. After Conan mowed his way through Heronan da Varza's crew and knocked out Heronan da Varza, Aket-Atum warned Conan not to try to fell him thusly and then cast a quickly-worded spell in a long dead language. Afflicted with sudden and severe weakness, Conan dropped his sword and fell to his knees, complaining that he had lost all his strength and felt weak as a girl. Refusing to give up Conan -- as he noted, "Yet -- I've known many a girl who could slay if she had a weapon." -- claimed a dagger from a fallen seaman and hurled it with sufficient force to sink it to the hilt in Aket-Atum's chest. Aket-Atum wilted to the deck, swiftly dying.

(Savage Sword of Conan#67 - BTS) - After Conan and his crew were drugged by Conan's mistress, Sancha, who had made an agreement to free da Varza in return for being taken back to Kordava, Sancha asked da Varza to let Conan escape before they reached Zingara. Da Varza refused, however, telling her he would need Conan in chains to compensate for the death of Aket-Atum while the spy was under his protection.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, & Kerry Gammil.
    There story was listed as scripted by Roy from a plot by Fred Blosser

    Aket-Atum previously had a tiny, image-less sub-profile in the Black Ring profile. While on vacation on a rainy day, as my son (who had broken his clavicle/collarbone) slept in the room with the rest of my reading material, I wrote this profile after finishing up Zukura and Seela, as I had the book in front of me. 

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Aket-Atum be distinguished from:

• Akhenaton - 18th dynasty pharaoh, @ 1351-1334 BC, father of Tutankhamum; gained vast power from Celestial Order in Reality-4321, which diverged from Reality-616 when Thanos destroyed the Celestial Order in the distant past--Incredible Hulk II#457
• Atum - offspring of Gaea & Demiurge, lives within the Earth’s sun, transforms into powerful Demogorge to slay archaic or dangerous gods--Thor Annual#10
• Aknaton of Reality-8116 - soul survivor of the Osirosians, created Whis'parr, led her, Za and Juliet to blow the Infinity Horn to annihilate the Milky Way galaxy to end the threat of the Zygoteans, slain by Vanth Dreadstar for engineering the mass slaughter--Epic Illustrated#1: The Metamorphosis Odyssey
• Suma-Ket - leader of the Unforgiven Dead of Atlantis, warrior-mage--Namor I#36

• Stygians of the planet Stygia the homeworld of the Stygian race, including the Stygian Starbender and Neutron--X-Men I#107

images: (without ads)
Savage Sword of Conan#67, pg. 9, panel 1 (more distant face);
        pg. 11, panel 4 (close-up face);
            panel 5 (mostly full body);
        pg. 12, panel 4 (full body, death)
 

Appearances: Savage Sword of Conan#67 (August, 1981) - Fred Blosser (plot), Roy Thomas (script), John Buscema & Alfredo Alcala (pencilers), Kerry Gammil (inker), Danny Fingeroth (associate editor), Lynn Graeme (consulting editor), Louise Jones (later Simonson; editor)
 

Last updated: 02/26/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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