Conan the Barbarian #271

A striking cover by Colin MacNeil sets a grim tone for issue #271: Conan lies defeated and grimacing on the ground, golden jewelry scattered around him, while a towering, skull-adorned supernatural entity — the Devourer — looms over him with antlered helmet and monstrous presence. The cover tagline "Defeated by the Devourer!" and the story title "The Devourer Comes to Dark Valley" promise a tale where Roy Thomas puts Conan through a brutal test against something far beyond ordinary human opposition. For fans of sword-and-sorcery at its most atmospheric, this 1993 Marvel issue delivers a cover image that's hard to look away from.