The Thing #19

The cover of this January 1985 Marvel issue sets a wonderfully eerie tone, with Ben Grimm's rocky back dominating the foreground as he braces against a skeleton-faced figure in a blue cloak and top hat — riding a team of pale, wild-eyed horses toward him out of a dark, castle-dotted landscape. The specter's casual taunt, "Going my way?", makes it clear ol' Bashful Benjy has stumbled into something far more sinister than a Sunday stroll. Ron Wilson and Joe Sinnott deliver a cover that's equal parts gothic atmosphere and pure Marvel muscle, and the tagline "Nightmares!" promises the issue lives up to every bit of that promise.