John Carter, Warlord of Mars #26

Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' enduring creation, this 1979 Marvel series entry pits John Carter against overwhelming odds — the cover by Frank Miller (pencils) and Bob Wiacek (inks) captures him bare-chested and defiant, sword drawn as waves of armed warriors surge around him and a fearsome Martian beast looms at his side. A masked, green-skinned figure leaps overhead brandishing an axe, while the cover blurb — "Death!" Cries the Guild of Assassins! — signals that the chapter title "Night of the Long Knives!" promises no shortage of peril. With Chris Claremont writing and Mike Vosburg on interior art, this issue delivers the pulp-adventure energy that made Burroughs' Barsoom saga irresistible in the first place.