Conan Saga #19

Earl Norem's painted cover for this 1988 Marvel magazine says everything you need to know about sword-and-sorcery at its most visceral: a massive, grey-bearded giant rears back with a jagged stone weapon while Conan — sword drawn, muscles coiled — stands his ground against the towering brute. A bejeweled woman cowers to the left, caught between danger and the Cimmerian's defiant stand, all set against a brooding cave backdrop. Inside, Roy Thomas scripts "The Blood of the Gods" with art by John Buscema and inks by Alfredo Alcala — a creative team that consistently delivered the Hyborian Age at its savage best.