Pinky and the Brain #22

The cover of this May 1998 DC issue says it all: Pinky and the Brain face off nose-to-nose against a stark black background, rendered in a dramatic, almost noir style that plays up the story's tagline — "To take over the world, he must become his worst enemy." Cover pencils by Walter Carzon and inks by Rubén Torreiro give the duo an unexpectedly menacing energy, with the golden-toned doppelgänger mirroring the Brain in a way that makes you wonder just what scheme is afoot. Tied to the story "The Mouse in the Iron Mask," this issue leans into classic swashbuckling territory while keeping the lab mice's signature rivalry front and center.