The Maxx #7

Sam Kieth's cover for this 1994 Image issue says it all in the title: Maxx vs. Pitt — and the two bruisers are going at it in delightfully absurd fashion, rendered as tiny, snarling figures brawling across what appears to be an artist's desktop scattered with pencils, coins, and a soda can. The sheer contrast between their hulking, exaggerated forms and the mundane tabletop setting gives the whole thing a wild, playful energy that captures Sam Kieth's singular artistic voice perfectly. With Bill Messner-Loebs co-writing and a full creative team including colorists Steve Oliff and Olyoptics, this crossover chapter is a fun artifact of Image Comics' energetic early years.