Desperate Times #1

Desperate Times #1 arrives from Image in 1998 with a cover that wears its self-aware humor right on its sleeve — two cartoon-styled guys argue in speech bubbles about whether they should be standing in front of a backdrop packed with voluptuous superhero-style women, one of them pointedly noting, "You want this book to sell, don't you?!" The meta-comedy is sharp and charming, with the contrast between the simple, rubbery character designs of the two men and the dramatically rendered figures behind them doing a lot of funny work. Cover pencils and inks by Chris Eliopoulos and Erik Larsen signal a creative partnership that clearly isn't taking itself too seriously — and that's exactly the point.