20世紀少年 [Nijūseiki Shōnen / 20th Century Boys] #1

A towering rocket dominates the cover of this opening volume, blasting off in a burst of flame and smoke while a trio of energetic boys — one heavyset, one in a baseball cap, one in shorts — run and point with wide-eyed excitement across the bold red title lettering. Naoki Urasawa's cover art immediately sets the tone: childhood wonder colliding with something much larger and more dangerous lurking on the horizon. The cover text itself teases a sweeping story about ordinary people confronting a crisis that nearly ended the world, making this first volume feel like the start of something genuinely grand.