Empire #1

A supervillain already holds the entire world in his gauntleted fist — quite literally, as the armored, caped figure dominating this 2003 DC series opener cradles a glowing blue globe of Earth while crackling with electric-blue energy. Behind him, a collage of haunting vignettes unfolds: a startled blonde woman, a huddled figure, a giant pocket watch, a monstrous face, and a distant silhouetted man in a high-tech corridor, all framed by splashes of blood-red. Barry Kitson's cover sets an ambitious, mature tone for Mark Waid's six-issue series, promising a world where the conquest has already happened and the real story is what comes next.