Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #16

From Image Comics' run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, issue #16 delivers a cover that earns its deep crimson background — the Turtles are caught in a desperate, multi-front brawl against a snarling, bat-winged creature that dominates the center of the composition with teeth bared and claws extended. One Turtle is hoisted aloft by a massive grey arm in the upper left while two others scramble into the fray below, blades already drawn. It's a snapshot of the grittier, harder-edged TMNT storytelling that defined this Image era, and the chaotic energy of the cover makes it hard to put down before you've even opened it.