Usagi Yojimbo #8

Stan Sakai's cover for this 1996 Dark Horse issue sets a tense, wintry scene: the rabbit ronin Usagi Yojimbo stands defiant in a snowy landscape, sword drawn, clutching a young girl protectively while a pack of small predatory dinosaurs — in shades of purple, brown, and blue-grey — closes in from every direction. The title "A Promise in the Snow" perfectly complements that image of fierce, outnumbered guardianship against some very unusual threats. Sakai's character work and creature design are on full display here, making this a visually striking entry in his long-running anthropomorphic samurai saga.