Blackbeard: Legend of the Pyrate King #1

Dynamite's 2009 series kicks off with a cover by John Cassaday that wastes no time establishing its larger-than-life subject: Blackbeard looms large against a backdrop of fire and smoke, his massive bearded figure bristling with flintlock pistols, a heavy chain in hand, and lit fuses smoldering in his hair as he roars with terrifying defiance. It's a commanding opening image for a series that promises to dig into the myth of history's most feared pirate. With a creative team including writers Robert Place Napton, Jamie Nash, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sanchez, and Steve Fussell alongside interior art by Mario Guevara, Legend of the Pyrate King arrives with real ambition behind its swashbuckling premise.