Conan: Death Covered in Gold #2

Part two of the "Death Covered in Gold" trilogy finds Conan at his most ferocious — the cover by penciler Geof Isherwood and inker Scott Hanna depicts the Cimmerian battle-scarred and snarling, both fists wrapped around the hilt of a massive sword that reflects the ghostly image of a horned beast. Writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema bring their considerable talents to "Brothers of the Worm," a title that promises something deeply unsettling lurking beneath the sword-and-sorcery action. With Conan's expression radiating raw defiance and a serpentine threat looming just behind him, this 1999 Marvel issue makes a compelling case for what pulp fantasy adventure looks like at full intensity.