Charlatan Ball #6

The sixth issue of Joe Casey and Andy Suriano's Charlatan Ball lands with a cover showing the red-and-white-costumed hero standing triumphant in what looks like a packed arena, one knee raised over a massive fallen opponent whose heavily tattooed arm sprawls in the foreground. A grotesque creature lurks ringside, watching the aftermath, while glowing barriers and a roaring crowd frame the scene in pure showmanship. It's a vivid, kinetic image that captures exactly the kind of wild, over-the-top energy this Image series brought to 2009.