Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #22

This 1989 Mirage issue from Eastman and Laird's series greets you with a startlingly close-up view of a purple-masked Turtle — mouth stretched wide open, tongue lolling out, looming dramatically against a vivid backdrop of golden rock formations and a swirling blue sky. Mark Martin handles the full creative package here, and his cover composition has a wonderfully unhinged energy that sets it apart from a typical superhero pose. At $1.75, issue #22 is a genuinely distinctive entry in the original Mirage run.