Tomb of Dracula #9

The cover of this June 1973 Marvel issue announces "The Fire-Cross!" in dramatic fashion, with Gil Kane's pencils and Tom Palmer's inks depicting a cloaked, recoiling Dracula being driven back by a blazing crucifix wielded by a robed figure, while a terrified red-haired woman cowers in the foreground — a smaller vampiric figure lurks ominously in the upper corner for good measure. The speech bubble promises that even the Lord of Darkness himself cannot stand before this holy weapon, setting a tone of gothic tension that the series handled so well in 1973. Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan's creative partnership was already producing some of Marvel's most atmospheric horror storytelling, making this a satisfying entry in one of the era's most distinctive titles.