Animal Man #6

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, Animal Man #6 (April 2012) presents a quietly unsettling cover by Travel Foreman: a gaunt, shirtless Buddy Baker walks barefoot past a brick wall plastered with movie posters casting him as "Red Thunder" — a superhero-for-hire pitched as "one man against the world." The contrast between the bold, costumed figure on the posters and the vulnerable, hollow-looking man striding past them says something compelling about identity and image without a single word of interior story. Written by Jeff Lemire with art by John Paul Leon and Travel Foreman, this issue — titled "Tights" — is part of one of 2012's most visually inventive superhero runs.