American Century #12

Part three of the "White Lightning" arc finds American Century #12 in moody, pulp-thriller territory, captured beautifully in Glen Orbik's cover painting. A blonde woman raises a lantern defiantly while a broad-shouldered man grips a revolver, the two standing back-to-back amid shadowy, looming figures crouched in the darkness around them. Howard Chaykin and David Tischman's Vertigo series has always drawn on mid-century noir sensibilities, and this 2002 issue looks like a fine showcase for that atmosphere.