Big Man Plans #4

The four-issue miniseries reaches its brutal conclusion with a cover that says it all — a battered, bloodied man stares out with cold intensity, bandages barely holding together a face that's taken serious punishment, his "Hang In There" clown t-shirt adding a darkly ironic note to the grim imagery. Eric Powell, who wrote, drew, inked, colored, and lettered this entire series, delivers a portrait of hard-edged menace against a stark black-and-red composition that's impossible to look away from. If you've been following this visceral revenge tale from Image, issue four of four is where it all comes to a head.