Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #12

This December 1973 issue of DC's post-apocalyptic adventure series drops Kamandi into the grip of a massive, mantis-like insectoid creature — easily twice the boy's size — that clutches him by a rope while a squad of armed humanoid soldiers scrambles in panic below. Jack Kirby's cover pencils (inked by Mike Royer) pack the image with kinetic energy, the looming green monster's gaping maw dominating the frame as the blond Kamandi strains against his bonds. The story title, "The Devil and Mister Sacker!", promises the kind of wild, imaginative threat that made this series one of 1973's most inventive science-fantasy titles.