Countdown Presents: Lord Havok & the Extremists #3

The third chapter of DC's 2008 Countdown tie-in miniseries promises an intense showdown, as the cover — penciled and inked by Liam Sharp — pits Lord Havok and a wild-haired, clawed Extremist against alternate-reality counterparts of Superman and Batman, while a grinning, ghoulish figure lurks in the foreground amid swirling green smoke. Rain-soaked and crackling with menace, the image makes good on its bold tagline: "vs. The Army of Monarch!" Written by Frank Tieri with interior art by Mark Robinson, this "Beast Within" chapter sits at the midpoint of the six-issue series, and Sharp's densely detailed cover suggests the stakes are only climbing higher.