Sonic the Hedgehog #85

Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog #85 cranks the action up to eleven with a cover by Pat Spaziante and Harvey Mercadoocasio that frames the Blue Blur's clash against a hulking mechanical enemy in gloriously over-the-top fighting-game style — complete with health bars, a "10 Hit Combo" counter, and a blazing energy impact lighting up the center of the image. Sonic himself looks thrillingly outmatched but undeterred, spinning into the massive robot with characteristic defiance while a second, darker robotic figure looms in the background. If the cover's video-game presentation for "The Big Payback" is any indication, this 2000 issue delivers exactly the kind of kinetic, fun energy that earned Archie's Sonic series its "World's Most Way Past Cool Comic" boast.