Savage Dragon #78

Erik Larsen's green-finned hero squares off against a genuinely unsettling threat on the cover of this August 2000 issue — a massive, pulsating brain-like creature looms at center, its tendrils reaching toward several helpless figures cowering at its base while Savage Dragon braces for the confrontation. The tagline "Mind Slaves of the Brainchild!" sets the tone perfectly, promising a weird, cerebral menace that plays right to the series' love of outlandish supervillains. Larsen handles both pencils and inks here, delivering that kinetic, larger-than-life energy that's kept Savage Dragon one of Image's most enduring ongoing titles.