Savage Dragon #124

The cover of this 2006 Image Comics issue says it all — Dread Knight stands triumphant, fist raised, with the unmistakable green form of Savage Dragon pinned beneath his feet before what appears to be the White House, surrounded by an army of armored figures. Erik Larsen's retro-styled cover, complete with artificial wear and a bold silver-age layout, makes "The Dismal Dregs of Defeat!" feel like a gut-punch of a tagline. If you've been following Dragon's struggles, this striking image of his apparent defeat at the hands of Dread Knight is a hard one to walk past on the shelf.