2000 AD #218

Prog 218 of 2000 AD hits newsstands in June 1981 with a Carlos Ezquerra cover that drops you straight into the chaos — a dark-haired figure in a blue jumpsuit is caught in a brutal crossfire, guns blazing from both sides as a heavily armored opponent looms in and a downed body lies at their feet. Billed as featuring the Strontium Dog lead story "The Upminster Jailbreak," this is exactly the kind of gritty, kinetic cover that made 2000 AD unmissable on a Monday morning. Alan Grant scripts the continuing "Portrait of a Mutant" saga, with Ezquerra handling both pencils and inks to deliver his characteristically raw, energetic linework.