American Century #13

The painted cover by Glen Orbik sets a tense, noir-soaked mood: a man in a white shirt cradles an unconscious woman against the fiery red backdrop of what appears to be a wrecked vehicle, the scene radiating both urgency and vulnerability. This is "White Lightning" part four of four, so whatever has been building across this arc comes to a head here — Vertigo's American Century at its most dramatically charged. Howard Chaykin and David Tischman's 2002 series consistently delivered pulpy, adult storytelling, and this concluding chapter looks like no exception.