2000 AD #1083

The brooding cover of 2000 AD Prog 1083 (dated 24 Feb 1998) sets an immediately unsettling tone — a sinister figure in dark sunglasses and a black suit smokes a cigarette in the foreground while a lone silhouette is caught in a blinding beam of light above, the imagery teasing the ominous question "Is This the End for the Men in Black?" Cover art by Dermot Power brings a moody, noir-drenched atmosphere to this week's prog, which also promises a high-stakes ultimatum for Sinister Dexter and the closing chapter of the Vector 13 files. With two compelling storylines converging in a single issue, this is a satisfying snapshot of 2000 AD firing on all cylinders in the late 1990s.