Connor Hawke: Dragon's Blood #2

Issue two of this 2007 DC miniseries — spinning out of the pages of Green Arrow — puts Connor Hawke front and center in his green archer's gear, bow raised and ready, as he stands back-to-back with the masked, scarf-wrapped Shado, her own arrow drawn against a tangle of threatening weaponry surrounding them. The cover blurb announces "The Return of Shado!" and the image delivers on that promise immediately, pairing two of DC's most skilled archers in what looks like a tense, outnumbered standoff. Derec Aucoin's clean linework gives the composition a sharp, kinetic energy that makes this Chuck Dixon–written series feel like a worthy chapter in Connor's story.