Death, Jr. #3

The third and final issue of this Image miniseries from 2007 wraps things up with a cover by Chris Bourassa that's equal parts eerie and charming — Death Jr., the pint-sized skull-headed kid, strikes a dramatic pose atop a desk while brandishing a scythe, with a looming skeletal reaper figure rising in a blaze of fire and scattered papers behind him. Below, a wide-eyed girl with violet skin and pigtails looks on in alarm, adding a wonderfully gothic-cartoon energy to the whole scene. Gary Whitta and Ted Naifeh's macabre coming-of-age series goes out with flair, and this cover makes a fittingly wild statement to close the chapter.