Melissandra

Stepping out of the Bronze Age pages of Conan the Barbarian #25 in 1973, Melissandra was conjured by the legendary creative trio of Roy Thomas, Barry Smith, and John Buscema — as distinguished a birthright as the Marvel sword-and-sorcery world could offer. She moves through the shadows of a Hyborian Age populated by vivid figures like Chumballa Bey, Kharam-Akkad, and the Cimmerian himself, which tells you something about the dangerous, exotic company she keeps. Her appearances are few, lending her the rare mystique of a character whose every panel carries weight — the kind of face collectors hunt for in back-issue bins. Now preserved in the handsome Conan The Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus, Melissandra endures as a small but genuine piece of Marvel's rich Bronze Age mythology.