Conan the Barbarian #255

The cover by Ernie Chan places Conan center-stage in fierce combat, sword raised against a towering, reptilian armored creature with a grotesque, fanged visage — while a dark-haired woman in a red dress cowers at his feet, shackled in chains amid scattered bones. The bold cover copy asks, "Will Conan escape from the Priests of the Purple Plague?" — promising the kind of sword-and-sorcery peril that made this Marvel series such a durable favorite. Part IV of "The Second Coming of Shuma-Gorath," written by Roy Thomas with interior art by Mike Docherty and Alfredo Alcala, this April 1992 issue lands during Marvel's 30th Anniversary year and keeps the Hyborian tension running at full pitch.