Aliens: Colonial Marines #5

The fifth chapter of Dark Horse's twelve-issue series puts the Colonial Marines squarely in the teeth of the xenomorph horde, and Joe Phillips's cover captures the desperation perfectly — armored marines fight for their lives as wave upon wave of Aliens close in from every direction, with one soldier thrown back in a terrifying freefall while muzzle fire flares in the chaos below. It's a vivid snapshot of the series' central tension: heavily armed humans looking very, very outgunned. With Kelley Puckett writing and Paul Guinan and Allen Nunis on interior art, this 1993 Dark Horse series remains a satisfying deep dive into the world of Aliens.