Usagi Yojimbo #87

Stan Sakai's cover for this 2005 Dark Horse issue puts the tension front and center: a pale, red-eyed antagonist looms large in the foreground, blade in hand, while two determined figures in purple robes — one crouching aggressively with a drawn weapon, the other standing warily behind — make clear that conflict is brewing on multiple fronts. It's the fifth chapter of "The Treasure of the Mother of Mountains," and the cover composition perfectly captures a standoff where nobody looks ready to back down. Sakai's clean, expressive linework does all the storytelling you need before you even open the cover.