Taking over writing duties on ''Conan the Barbarian'' in the early 1980s, Bruce Jones brought his humor and horror sensibilities - as well as his knack for telling great short stories - to the title, invigorating John Buscema, who returned to work on the series with Conan number 136. In ''Chronicles of Conan: Isle of the Dead and Other Stories'', these two comic-book titans lead Conan on a thrilling tour of Hyboria - from the monster-infested Bossonian Marshes to the hideous slave markets of Belthem - as Conan encounters strange, supernatural foes, beguiling women, and overconfident rulers.