Animal Man #24

Rafael Albuquerque's stark cover for this 2013 New 52 issue says everything with almost nothing — a wounded, veined figure slumped on the ground beneath the massive crimson silhouette of a looming, flame-like entity, all rendered in a chilling two-tone palette of red and white. The tagline "A World Ruled by Blood!" sets an ominous tone that perfectly frames Jeff Lemire's "Hollywood Babylon, Part 1 of 2." It's a striking visual promise of the vulnerabilities and dark forces at the heart of this chapter.