Azrael #25

Part two of "The Fall of Saint Dumas" brings the tension to a boil, and Barry Kitson and James Pascoe's cover makes the stakes unmistakable — Azrael stands at the center in his gold-and-red armor, flaming sword raised high, completely surrounded by a press of armed enemies leveling guns and spears at him from every direction. The shattered, crystalline blue background amplifies the sense of siege, with no escape route in sight. Dennis O'Neil's "Angel at War" arc is clearly hitting its stride, and this January 1997 issue promises the kind of mid-arc escalation that keeps readers flipping pages.