Single Issue Hall of Fame: Savage Sword of Conan #64

This magazine may have been my very first exposure to Conan, the Barbarian and it completely blew my 9 year old mind. I've read it again several times over the years, and it never fails to satisfy. I sat down last month and tried to look at it with completely new eyes, stripping away all of the nostalgia that I've built up. You know what? It is still awesome. The main story "The Children of Rhan" is fantastic. Written by Bruce Jones and beautifully drawn by the Buscema/Chan team - it is a very engaging and very suspenseful tales. Jones manages to mix some heartwarming moments with shocking horror. The back-up "Devil's Bait", isn't nearly as strong (how could it be?), but it is 100% Gil Kane, and that's never a bad thing. This particular issues is also notable because it features a number of pin-ups drawn by non other than Alex Toth. The more I think about it, I realize that this may have also been my first exposure to Alex Toth (Saturday mornings aside). This is a fantastic issue, and I'm happy to induct it into the Hall of Fame.