Conan the Barbarian (1970)

Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith's early issues, from 1970 Proof that a licensed comic can outclass the house characters around it. Marvel licensed Robert E. Howard's barbarian in 1970, and Roy Thomas scripted the first 115 issues, adapting many of Howard's own stories. Most of the first 24 issues are drawn by a young Barry Windsor-Smith, whose art grows from Kirby-style brawling into ornate, almost Pre-Raphaelite fantasy in front of your eyes. You need no knowledge of Howard or the Schwarzenegger films; each tale mostly stands alone. Issue #23 brings in Red Sonja, and #24 won a Shazam Award for best dramatic story. The Windsor-Smith issues are the sampler; if they land, John Buscema's long stretch that follows is the meat of the run.