2000 AD #1449

This 2005 edition of the long-running British anthology 2000 AD packs in Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter, Shakara, and the climactic Atavar III — and Richard Elson's cover art captures that last strip's intensity beautifully. A powerfully built, glowing-eyed female figure dominates the composition, holding two alien creatures on chains while a snarling male figure writhes below her — all rendered in crackling purples and blues that give the whole thing an electrifying, otherworldly charge. With the tagline "Deadlier Than the Male!" promising a battle-of-the-sexes showdown, Prog 1449 is a fine snapshot of 2000 AD firing on all cylinders in the mid-2000s.