Usagi Yojimbo #5

Stan Sakai's rabbit ronin is outnumbered but absolutely undaunted on this cover, sword raised high as he stands atop a writhing mass of enemies pressing in from every direction — arrows already lodged in the rocks around him, yet Usagi holds his ground with fierce determination. The sheer energy Sakai brings to this image, with dozens of snarling faces crowding the foreground and that golden background throwing the lone samurai into sharp relief, makes "The Chrysanthemum Pass" feel like a true test of endurance before you've even cracked the cover. A wonderful 1996 entry in this beloved Dark Horse series, rendered entirely by Sakai's own hand from pencils to inks.