2000 AD and Starlord #109

The cover of 2000 AD and Starlord Prog 109 (April 1979) makes a bold first impression, with Carlos Ezquerra's artwork depicting monstrous, decaying figures engulfed in roaring flames beneath a blood-red sky — the "Flames of Hell!" tagline leaving little doubt about the intensity on offer. Strontium Dog is front and center as the featured strip, with those grotesque, fire-wreathed creatures promising something suitably savage inside. At just 10p Earth Money, this weekly prog delivers the kind of visceral, larger-than-life cover energy that made 2000 AD one of the most distinctive comics on British newsagents' shelves in 1979.