Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25 closes out "The Blood of Carthage" with a cover that delivers exactly the kind of oversized, winged demon chaos you'd hope for in a finale — Buffy scrambles up the creature's massive, grotesque body with stake in hand while a snarling demon fighter engages it from below and a blonde figure in a dark coat watches anxiously from the left. Jeff Matsuda's pencils and Andy Owens' inks give the whole scene a dynamic, almost kinetic energy that feels worthy of a five-part story's conclusion. Dark Horse's 2000 Buffy run was consistently delivering strong ensemble action, and this cover is a vivid reminder of why.