Captain Marvel #9

This striking issue puts Carol Danvers front and center — her piercing blue eyes and the bold red-and-blue starburst face paint dominating the cover in an intimate, almost portrait-style composition by David López. The subtitle "The Aladna Court Sessions" hints at something dramatic unfolding in the royal courts of an alien world, and a badge on the cover promises the featured presence of Lila Cheney, billed as the "X-Traordinary Empress of Impress." Kelly Sue DeConnick, López, and Lee Loughridge bring a stylish confidence to this 2015 chapter that makes it hard to look away.