Barry Windsor-Smith first bid Marvel adieu in the 1970s after he left the Conan series. But he returned from time to time, working on special projects, such as his contributions to Epic Illustrated.
This particular cover for the August 1981 issue, featuring a warrior about to enter a walled city, shows that Smith still retained his mastery over all things sword and sorcery.
The February 1983 cover depicts an "epic" crash landing in a lush pond and surrounding forest.
Epic Illustrated was the Marvel Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, edited by the late legendary Archie Goodwin. While Epic featured occasional stories of Marvel characters like Galactus and the Silver Surfer, it featured independent work by creators. It was a first for Marvel, to publish stories where creators retained the ownership and copyright. This paved the way for Goodwin to start the Epic line of comics, where an incredible array of creator-owned comics were published--Dreadstar, Coyote, Moonshadow, Groo, and many others. Nuff Said!
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