Conan the King #40

Cover penciler Mike Docherty and inker Armando Gil deliver a visceral scene for this May 1987 entry in Marvel's sword-and-sorcery series: Conan drives his blade straight into the gaping maw of an enormous serpentine monster, its fanged jaws and red eyes filling the background with menace, while a robed sorcerer recoils in terror and fallen warriors litter the ground. The title "Of Sorcery and Steel" promises exactly what the cover delivers — a Hyborian clash where dark magic and cold iron collide head-on. It's a striking composition that captures the Cimmerian king at his most defiant, sword-arm extended against something no crown or throne could ever prepare him for.