Sergio Aragonés Groo the Wanderer #27

The cover of this May 1987 Epic Comics/Marvel release tells its own wordless joke: a nine-panel grid follows the lovably hapless Groo through a single catastrophic sword swing — strutting confidently, drawing his blades, slicing through the air, and landing face-first in the dirt with a resounding "PHAM!" It's a perfect showcase for Sergio Aragonés' gift for sequential slapstick, with every panel capturing a new beat of Groo's glorious failure. With Aragonés writing, drawing, and inking alongside Mark Evanier, Tom Luth, and letterer Stan Sakai, this creative team was firing on all cylinders in 1987.