Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #9

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #9 arrives in 2012 with a cover by Alberto Ponticelli and inker Walden Wong that puts the stitched, green-skinned monster-hero front and center, sword raised high as writhing, tendril-like masses of the Rot coil around him from every direction. The tagline "Rise of the Rot!" sets a suitably creepy tone, and Frankenstein's snarling defiance against the encroaching decay makes for a genuinely gripping image. With Jeff Lemire writing and Alberto Ponticelli providing interior art alongside inker Wayne Faucher, "Animal Tracks" looks to deliver another wild chapter in this delightfully strange corner of the DC Universe.