Conan the Barbarian #164

Marvel's long-running sword-and-sorcery series delivers a fierce confrontation on this November 1984 cover, where a snarling Conan lunges forward with blade in hand against a glowing, flame-wreathed female figure whose outstretched arm seems charged with supernatural energy. Scattered jewels and broken weapons litter the ground between them, hinting at the costly struggle suggested by the issue's title, "Jeweled Sword of Tem." With cover art by Armando Gil capturing both raw brutality and an otherworldly menace, this is exactly the kind of vivid, pulpy spectacle that made Conan the Barbarian a staple of any self-respecting Bronze Age collection.