Criminal #4

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips's acclaimed noir series reaches its fourth chapter of "Coward," and the cover by Sean Phillips sets the tension perfectly — a man and a young woman sprint desperately in the foreground while two uniformed police officers loom large in the background, flanking an imposing, grinning face that fills the composition like a threat made visible. The cool blue palette and sketchy, urgent linework give the whole image a raw, on-the-run energy that noir fans will find hard to resist. Published under Marvel's Icon imprint by a Harvey Award-winning writer and Scream Award-winning artist, this is crime comics storytelling with real craft behind it.