Countdown Presents: Lord Havok & the Extremists #1

Part one of this 2007 DC series — spinning out of Countdown — opens with a striking cover by Liam Sharp that makes an immediate impression: the imposing, battle-armored Lord Havok towers over a rain-soaked battlefield, clutching a hapless figure in one massive gauntlet while a crowd of figures surges chaotically below him. Ghostly faces, a winged figure, and bursts of fire and energy fill the blood-red background, suggesting the Extremists are very much a force to be reckoned with. With Frank Tieri scripting and Sharp's densely detailed linework driving the visuals, this opening chapter looks like a confident, muscular introduction to some of DC's most dangerous villains.