The Maxx #17

The Maxx crouches in raw, imposing purple against a battered, rust-toned background on Sam Kieth's cover for this July 1995 Image issue — all massive limbs, yellow claws, and that unmistakable wide grin radiating equal parts menace and mischief. Kieth's painted, textured style gives the whole image a visceral, almost feverish energy that perfectly suits this title's blurring of reality and the Outback. With a story titled "In Julie's Outback" and the full creative team of Kieth, Bill Messner-Loebs, and colorist Steve Oliff on board, this is one of mid-'90s alternative superhero comics firing on all cylinders.