Conan the Barbarian #256

Issue #256 of Marvel's long-running sword-and-sorcery series finds Conan in a desperate, crouching position on the cover — bloodied and battered, clutching a short sword while multiple armored foes press in from all sides, their blades crossing just inches from his head. The blurb "Ambushed by Skeletons of Steel!" sets the stage for the 1992 story "Blood and Bones," promising the kind of outnumbered, close-quarters peril that has always defined the Cimmerian at his most gripping. Cover pencils by Mike Docherty and inks by Dell Barras deliver a visceral, kinetic image that makes it easy to see why this series kept fans coming back month after month.