The Darkness #18

This 1998 Top Cow/Image installment of The Darkness arrives with a stunning cover by penciler Joe Benitez and inker Joe Weems V — a towering composition showing Jackie Estacado in full Darkness armor, vast bat-like wings spread wide against a burning orange sky, as he looms over a writhing mass of grotesque Darklings and demonic creatures, with a woman caught in their midst. The sheer density of snarling, tentacled figures piled beneath him gives the image an almost sculptural intensity that's hard to look away from. With a strong creative team including writer Malachy Coney and colorist Matt Nelson, issue #18 is a striking entry in this supernatural noir series.