The Savage Sword of Conan #112

Joe Jusko's painted cover for this 1985 Marvel black-and-white magazine says everything about Conan's world in one commanding image: the Cimmerian sits enthroned in dark, ornate splendor, gripping his sword while flanked by two prowling tigers and three reclining women at his feet — a leopard skin draped across the floor completing the scene's brooding opulence. Inside, Michael Fleisher scripts "A Dream of Empire" with art and inks by Dave Simons, promising the kind of sword-and-sorcery adventure this series consistently delivered in the mid-1980s. At $1.50, it's a handsome package that captures the mythic, larger-than-life appeal of Robert E. Howard's barbarian king.