Conan the Barbarian #41

Gil Kane and Ernie Chan's cover for this August 1974 issue makes an immediate impression: Conan, sword drawn, strains against the writhing tentacle-like roots of a monstrous, fang-mawed tree that is devouring a red-haired figure whole, while scattered skeletons and a pile of gold coins hint at the horrors lurking in "The Garden of Death and Life!" It's a wonderfully creepy piece of sword-and-sorcery imagery, with skulls and skeletal figures tangled throughout the gnarly branches to underscore just how dangerous this botanical nightmare truly is. John Buscema handles the interior art alongside writer Roy Thomas, making this a strong creative pairing for one of Marvel's most consistently gripping fantasy titles of the mid-1970s.