Usagi Yojimbo #45

Chapter 6 of the "Grasscutter II: Journey to Atsuta Shrine" arc delivers one of those covers that makes you stop and stare — Stan Sakai packs the scene with a swarm of black-clad ninja descending through a wooded hillside, blades drawn, while Usagi himself stands his ground in the lower right with katana ready and that unmistakable long-eared determination. The sheer number of opponents surrounding the rabbit ronin gives the image a wonderful sense of impossible odds, rendered with Sakai's deceptively expressive line work on both pencils and inks. If you've been following this arc, issue #45 from 2001 is a chapter you won't want to skip.