Five Ghosts #16

Five Ghosts reaches its sixteenth issue with a cover that radiates hard-won defiance: a battered, armored figure stands wide-legged atop a writhing mass of bodies, chains gripped in both fists, staring down the viewer with unnerving calm. Chris Mooneyham's linework gives the scene a gritty, kinetic energy, while Lauren Affe's earthy, weathered palette keeps the mood grounded and tense. "Part 4: Prisoners" promises that Frank J. Barbiere's pulp-adventure series is still pushing its protagonist to the absolute limit.