Swamp Thing #20

This Vertigo title from December 2005 brings writer Joshua Dysart and artist Richard Corben together for "Little Runaway," and the cover immediately signals something unsettling — a massive, detailed spider dominates the foreground while a glowing-eyed Swamp Thing looms behind it in a tangle of roots and vegetation, the two locked in a tense, primal standoff. Corben's rendering of both creatures is visceral and confident, giving the spider an almost grotesque weight that matches the earthy menace of the green titan behind it. Suggested for mature readers and priced at $2.99, this is the kind of issue that earns its place on the shelf just from the cover alone.