Spawn #7

A heavily armed, skull-emblazoned mercenary dominates this January 1993 Image cover, draped in chains and bandoliers while wielding massive automatic weapons wreathed in crackling orange flame — with Spawn himself looming in the upper corner, his cape and white mask cutting a sharp silhouette against the darkness. Todd McFarlane's cover pencils and inks deliver the kinetic, heavily detailed linework that made this series such a striking presence on 1993 shelves. "Payback (Part Two)" promises exactly the kind of escalating tension the cover telegraphs, and with coloring by Steve Oliff, Reuben Rude, and Olyoptics, every glint of firelight and shadow hits with real punch.