Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #57

Part eight of thirteen in the ambitious "City at War" saga, this March 1993 Mirage Publishing issue puts a fierce, dark-haired warrior woman front and center — sword drawn, her purple coat billowing as leaves scatter around her — while a Turtle in an orange mask is caught in her grip against a blurred cityscape backdrop. The tension and movement A. C. Farley captures in the cover art make it immediately clear this sprawling thirteen-part epic isn't letting up anytime soon. With Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Jim Lawson collaborating on the story, TMNT #57 represents the Mirage series firing on all cylinders during one of its most ambitious storylines.