The Savage Sword of Conan #65

Conan faces one of his most visceral challenges on this June 1981 issue, with Joe Jusko's painted cover depicting the muscular Barbarian locked in close-quarters combat against a towering, serpentine creature — its fanged maw lunging directly at him amid a grim, gravestone-littered landscape. Conan grips a weapon overhead while the beast's scaly coils wrap around him, making it clear this fight is anything but one-sided. With a story titled "The Fangs of the Serpent!" and interior work from a remarkably deep creative roster including Gil Kane, Walter Simonson, Frank Miller, and Howard Chaykin, issue #65 delivers serious sword-and-sorcery firepower.