G.I. Joe: Frontline #16

A firestorm backdrop sets an ominous tone for G.I. Joe: Frontline #16 from Image Comics, as the cover — penciled by Rodriguez and inked by Pepoy — puts a grim-faced, bare-skulled figure front and center, his fist clutching a cobra-emblazoned mask, with three armored soldiers looming behind him through the flames. The tension radiating off this image makes it clear that "Security" is a story where power, identity, and threat are very much on the table. With a creative team that includes writers Will Wilson, Cory Mitchell, and Brandon Jerwa alongside artist Eddy Barrows, this 2003 issue delivers the kind of brooding intensity that kept G.I. Joe compelling well beyond its origins.