Conan the Barbarian #217

Ron Wagner's cover for issue #217 pulls no punches — Conan is shown overwhelmed and snarling, his muscular frame seized by a swarm of dark, shadowy creatures dragging him into a gaping, hellish pit, his sword just out of reach on the ground below. The cover tagline "Trapped in the City of Shadows" sets an appropriately ominous tone for the story within, "Beneath the City of Shadows," brought to life by the creative team of Charles Santino, Val Semeiks, and Alfredo Alcala. For fans of sword-and-sorcery at its most atmospheric, this 1989 Marvel entry delivers a cover that captures the Cimmerian at a genuinely desperate moment.