Ascender #17

Dustin Nguyen's watercolor cover for Ascender #17 is quietly breathtaking — a young figure with glowing blue eyes stands amid floating debris and churning cosmic clouds, crackling energy emanating from both hands while cracks spread visibly across their face and body. The tension between that fragile, child-like form and the raw power surrounding it gives the image a haunting, melancholy weight that's become a hallmark of this Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen collaboration. If you've been following this series, issue #17 looks like a pivotal, visually stunning moment not to miss.