Kull, the Destroyer #20

Robert E. Howard's barbarian king gets a supernatural workout in this April 1977 Marvel entry, titled "The Hell Beneath Atlantis!" The cover by Ed Hannigan and Marie Severin puts Kull front and center on a stone stairway, battle-axe raised and teeth gritted as he hurls a defiant challenge — "Back, you hellspawn — back down to the devil you serve!" — at a mass of writhing blue tentacles that threaten to engulf both him and a struggling golden-haired woman at his side. It's a vivid snapshot of sword-and-sorcery at its most primal, with Doug Moench scripting and the art team of Hannigan, Alfredo Alcala, and Marie Severin bringing every coiling, monstrous detail to life.