Usagi Yojimbo #144

Stan Sakai's long-running anthropomorphic samurai series continues with issue #144, "Shoyu, Part Two," and the cover delivers exactly the kind of close-quarters tension the series does so well. Usagi himself — the white rabbit ronin in his blue kimono — has a sword drawn and locked in a fierce struggle with a larger, rough-featured opponent who's grappling for control of the blade. Every line of Sakai's cover art crackles with physical urgency, framed by the wooden backdrop of what appears to be a courtyard or inn entrance.