The Walking Dead #96

The "A Larger World" arc reaches its conclusion here, and Charlie Adlard's cover sets the mood perfectly — a battered, blood-soaked Rick Grimes stands alone, knife in hand, staring forward with the kind of grim resolve that defines this series at its best. Splashes of red frame the image on all sides, hinting at the cost of whatever confrontation preceded this moment. Robert Kirkman, Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn were firing on all cylinders during this 2012 run, and this issue marks a pivotal turning point in the survivors' efforts to navigate a world far more complicated than it first appeared.