Captain Atom #5

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, this March 2012 issue of Captain Atom poses a chilling question right there in the title — "Man or Monster?" — and Stanley "Artgerm" Lau's cover drives that tension home with striking force. The image shows a luminous, silver-skinned Captain Atom being hauled upward into the gaping, razor-toothed maw of a massive dark creature, fiery energy crackling at his hands as he's drawn helplessly toward those jagged jaws. It's a visceral, unsettling image that makes the tagline "In the Mouth of Madness!" feel entirely earned, and sets the stage for what J.T. Krul and Freddie Williams II clearly have in store for their atomic hero.