2000 AD #572

Few images in 1988 British comics could be more arresting than a battered Judge Dredd slumped against his own "R.I.P." gravestone, badge torn and helmet askew, while a rifle-toting silhouette looms on the rock above against a rain-soaked city skyline — Jim Baikie's cover perfectly captures the desperate mood of "Hit Two, Part 5: Staying Alive." The grim irony of that title carved in stone sets the tone for what's clearly a bruising chapter in Dredd's ongoing struggle. Interior work comes from writer Simon Geller and artist Steve Dillon, making Prog 572 a fine snapshot of 2000 AD firing on all cylinders.