The Goon #8

Eric Powell's painted-style cover for this 2004 Eisner Award–winning Dark Horse series sets a moody noir tone perfectly: a hulking, flat-capped Goon clutches a wooden stake with grim satisfaction, while an eerily blue-skinned vampire dame in a flowing black gown glides ominously beside him against a blood-red backdrop. The pulp-horror headline "The Vampire Dame Had to Die!" promises exactly the kind of darkly comedic monster-stomping that made this series such a standout. If you've been curious about Powell's blend of hardboiled attitude and supernatural mayhem, issue #8 is a fine place to sink your teeth in.