C.O.W.L. #4

C.O.W.L. #4 continues Image Comics' sharp 2014 series about the Chicago Organized Workers League, where superheroics meet labor politics in a way few books dare to attempt. Trevor McCarthy's cover is quietly gripping — a lone costumed figure in a blue-accented black suit stands silhouetted against a roiling orange blaze, his back to us, one gauntleted fist held out as dark rocky shapes loom at his feet. The mood is tense and self-possessed, perfectly capturing the "Unity" chapter heading with a figure who seems to be holding something — or someone — in check.