Ex Machina #39

This penultimate stretch of Brian K. Vaughan's acclaimed series reaches "Dirty Tricks Conclusion" with a cover by Tony Harris that perfectly captures the book's dual-identity tension — a suited man in a red tie stares out with steely composure while the armored, goggled figure of the Great Machine looms behind him, both framed within the official seal of the Mayor of New York. Harris's composition makes the contrast between political authority and costumed heroism feel genuinely unnerving, the two halves of one man locked in quiet confrontation. Wildstorm's 2009 lineup didn't get much sharper than this.