Freedom Force #2

From Image Comics in 2005, this second chapter of Freedom Force carries the sobering story title "Casualty of War" — and the cover sets the tone immediately. Against a stark black background, a star-spangled hero cradles an unconscious civilian figure, the quiet, somber composition suggesting sacrifice and consequence rather than triumph. Tom Scioli's artwork — both penciled and inked by his own hand, with colors by Tom McCraw — gives the scene a bold, retro energy that makes the emotional weight hit even harder.