Crowded #4

The fourth issue of Image's sharp near-future series delivers a cover that perfectly captures its paranoid premise: a wide-eyed young woman in a hoodie clutches something small and unsettling while dozens of grinning, menacing faces — tiles of the same leering figure — surround her on every side. Ro Stein's artwork turns the simple concept of being hunted by a crowd into something genuinely unnerving, with that sea of identical smiles pressing in from all directions. Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae are bringing real creative energy to this series, and this 2018 issue makes a strong visual case for why Crowded earned its buzz.