Blood Syndicate #1

This inaugural issue from DC's Milestone imprint launches the Blood Syndicate with a cover — penciled by Denys Cowan and inked by Jimmy Palmiotti — that makes an immediate statement: a powerfully built, gold-armored figure dominates the foreground, arms crossed and expression fierce, while a diverse crew of armed and super-powered individuals fans out behind him beneath the pointed tagline "America Eats Its Young." The assembled team — including a figure in tactical gear, a woman with striking red hair, and a street-smart member in a blue cap and bold gold chains — radiates the kind of dangerous solidarity that comes from surviving the same mean streets together. Written by Dwayne McDuffie and Ivan Velez Jr. with interior art by Trevor Von Eeden, this 1993 series arrived with a distinct voice and a crew unlike anything else on the stands at the time.