Savage Dragon #113

Subtitled "Vicious Encounter" right on the cover, Savage Dragon #113 from 2004 sets a menacing tone with a striking blue-and-yellow composition featuring a tentacled alien-like creature lunging forward while a pair of muscular, masked figures loom close behind in a claustrophobic city backdrop. Erik Larsen's cover linework crackles with kinetic energy, packing three formidable-looking threats into a single tense standoff. If the Vicious Circle is rising, this issue's cover makes it very clear the opposition isn't going to be friendly.