Conan the Barbarian #83

Few covers from 1978 capture the raw, waterlogged fury of Conan quite like this one — the Cimmerian is shown mid-combat in churning bog-waters, knife in hand, as a massive scaled Man-Dragon lunges at him from one side while two more reptilian humanoid figures close in from behind. The cover copy spells out the stakes plainly: Conan fights alone against swords and Stygian sorcery, and the desperate energy John Buscema and Ernie Chan bring to that underwater melee makes it entirely believable. "The Dance of the Skull!" promises a tale steeped in dark Hyborian menace — a fine entry in Marvel's long-running sword-and-sorcery saga.