Alias #17

Part two of "The Underneath" arc arrives with a cover by David Mack that feels less like a comic book than a mixed-media painting come to life — a red-haired woman rendered in cool blues and purples gazes steadily outward, small white wings framing her shoulders against a layered background of watercolor washes, geometric doodles, and intricate crosshatched patterns. The dreamlike quality suits a series that has always pushed at the edges of what a MAX Comics title could be, with Brian Michael Bendis writing and Michael Gaydos on interior art. If this 2003 issue is any indication, "The Underneath" is shaping up to be one of the run's most visually ambitious chapters.