2000 AD #1618

Prog 1618 of Britain's flagship weekly anthology arrives with a visceral Ben Oliver cover that says everything about the chaos within — a bloodied soldier lunges desperately toward the viewer, arms outstretched and face contorted in raw intensity, the stark white background splattered red around him. The tagline "Bunker Buster!" and the ominous caption "Alpha's on the frontline in the war against the Kreelers" set a fittingly grim tone for a week packed with Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, The Red Seas, and more. Whether you're a longtime Squaxx dek Thargo or just discovering 2000 AD's distinctive brand of British sci-fi, this 2009 prog makes a punchy case for picking it up.