2000 AD #488

Two armored Judges stand back-to-back on Brendan McCarthy's cover for this September 1986 prog, weapons raised and a speech bubble declaring "We Are the Law!" — a suitably defiant image that sets the tone perfectly. Inset panels frame a helmeted alien face and a close-up of Dredd's granite jaw, while the bottom strip layers the Stars and Stripes alongside the Union Jack in a striking cross-national flourish. Part 4 of "Atlantis" awaits inside, and McCarthy's bold, kinetic linework makes this one of the more visually arresting covers of 2000 AD's mid-'86 run.