The American #1

Dark Horse launched this patriotic superhero series in 1987 with a cover that makes a strong first impression — the American stands at rigid salute, clad in a blue-and-white uniform with a bold eagle emblem on his chest, cradling an oversized minigun as bullet holes riddle a stars-and-stripes backdrop behind him. The image strikes a deliberately ambiguous tone, equal parts heroic and unsettling, which sets up the "Chinese Boxes" story inside nicely. Chris Warner's clean, muscular linework gives the character an authoritative presence that feels right at home in Dark Horse's early catalog.