Critters #27

Stan Sakai's cover for this 1988 Fantagraphics issue captures a wonderfully kinetic scene: a bald, blue giant clutching a scythe leaps across a rocky cliff edge while a rabbit character rides on his back, arrows bristling from both figures as a troop of armored samurai warriors advances in the background. The sheer energy and humor packed into that single image — the giant's wild expression, the rabbit's white-knuckled grip, the whole desperate escape — is exactly the kind of inventive anthropomorphic adventure that made Critters such a beloved anthology. With Sakai handling every aspect of the story and cover solo, issue #27 is a fine showcase of his distinctive storytelling craft.