Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastard #1

IDW's 2011 miniseries kicks off with Duke Nukem front and center, pistol raised, squaring off against a hulking alien enemy against a fiery orange backdrop dominated by a radioactive symbol — with flying saucers circling in the sky above. Two women flank the composition, one armed with a rifle and wearing a military beret, the other posed coolly in the foreground, as the cover by John K. Snyder III sets a pulpy, action-movie tone that fits the "Glorious Bastard" subtitle to a T. With writing by Tom Waltz and art by Xermanico, this first issue — subtitled "Balls of Steel" — looks like a love letter to over-the-top action excess starring gaming's most self-assured hero.