Usagi Yojimbo #51

Stan Sakai's cover for issue #51 puts Usagi front and center in a tense three-way standoff — the rabbit ronin grips his drawn sword between a hulking, armored figure on the left and a bound captive being held at sword-point on the right, all set against the sliding panels of a traditional interior. The body language crackles with barely contained conflict, making "The Shrouded Moon Part Two" feel like a story already deep in dangerous territory. Published by Dark Horse's Maverick imprint in 2001, this chapter of one of comics' most enduring samurai series is a fine example of Sakai's deceptively expressive anthropomorphic artwork at work.