Extremity #5

Daniel Warren Johnson's raw, visceral artwork is on full display in this Skybound/Image series, and issue #5 delivers a cover that stops you cold: a brooding, long-haired warrior looms over a smaller figure whose outstretched hands are drenched in blood, the stark black background making every crimson detail hit harder. The composition radiates a tense, protective — or perhaps threatening — relationship between the two figures, with Johnson's scratchy linework and Mike Spicer's muted-yet-intense color work giving the whole image a brutal emotional weight. If this series hasn't been on your radar yet, this cover alone makes a compelling case for catching up.