John Carter, Warlord of Mars #8

Marvel's Barsoom adventure hits a fever pitch in this January 1978 entry, as the cover — penciled by Gil Kane and inked by Rudy Nebres — plunges John Carter into a desperate sword-to-claw struggle against a monstrous, fanged creature with an eerie green hide. The cover copy promises the city of Helium itself is crumbling, raising the stakes as Carter, blades drawn, faces "The Beast with the Touch of Stone" amid a landscape of shattering rock and debris. It's a vivid snapshot of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian world rendered with real urgency, and the chapter title — "Flesh May Wither… and Stone May Crumble!" — suggests Marv Wolfman's ongoing Air-Pirates saga is building toward something genuinely consequential.