Brilliant #5

Bendis and Bagley's creator-owned series reaches its fifth issue with a cover that pulls you in close — uncomfortably close — to a figure whose glowing eyes blaze with barely contained power against a deep crimson wash. Mark Bagley's pencils and Joe Rubinstein's inks strip everything back to raw intensity, giving this 2014 Icon release a moody, thriller-tinged atmosphere that feels a world apart from standard superhero fare. If you've been following this series about young people pushing the boundaries of human potential, this brooding close-up promises the tension is only tightening.