Deadpool #19

Joe Kelly's 1998 Deadpool series delivers a brutal standout with issue #19, subtitled "The Final Judgement," as a massive armored villain — snarling, blue-faced, and bristling with gold-spiked shoulder armor — looms over a battered, red-suited Deadpool who struggles in his grip against a shattered icy backdrop. Walter McDaniel's pencils and John Livesay's inks make the power imbalance visceral, with "The Final Battle" blazing across the top of the cover to underscore the stakes. It's a striking, kinetic image that makes a compelling case for what was one of Marvel's most distinct ongoing series of the era.