The Savage Sword of Conan #22

Marvel's black-and-white magazine format gave stories like "Pool of the Black One" room to breathe, and this 1977 issue of The Savage Sword of Conan makes a striking first impression. Val Mayerik's cover painting shows Conan — dagger in hand — locked in a tense grip with a hulking, dripping dark creature that looms over him with a feral snarl, while a dark-haired woman crouches at his side. The tagline promises "Terror in a Timeless Land," and with Roy Thomas writing and John Buscema on interior art, that's a creative team fully up to the challenge.