G.I. Joe #18

A dark, fiery mood dominates this 2003 Image Comics entry in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series, with Dan Brereton's cover painting placing a sharp-eyed woman in glasses and tactical gear front and center — her cool composure contrasting sharply with the chaos erupting behind her. Looming in the flames are a chrome-faced armored figure clutching an assault rifle and a silhouetted squad of soldiers, suggesting the tension running through "The Cabal Part Two." With Josh Blaylock writing and Brandon Badeaux on interior art, this issue delivers the kind of high-stakes atmosphere that made the Image run a compelling chapter in Joe history.