Conan: River of Blood #1

Marvel's 1998 three-part miniseries kicks off with a cover that puts Conan front and center — muscular, black-haired, and bristling with defiance as he wields a battle-axe in one hand and a long sword in the other, surrounded by jagged black rocks, a skull at his feet, and a fiery crimson hellscape looming behind him. The tension radiating off that image sets a fittingly savage tone for "Conan and the River of Blood Part I," brought to life by writer Roland Green and artist Geof Isherwood. If you've been looking for a Hyborian adventure with real menace and scope, this first chapter promises plenty of both.