Green Lantern: New Guardians #22

Part of DC's New 52 initiative, this September 2013 issue puts Kyle Rayner front and center — or rather, in the grip of something terrifying. Rafael Albuquerque's cover depicts a wild-eyed, agonized figure engulfed in blazing yellow-orange energy, the taunting words "Don't struggle, Kyle… Relic will break you!" burning across the image with genuine menace. Writer Justin Jordan, artist Brad Walker, and inker Andrew Hennessy bring their A-game to a story that, judging by this cover alone, promises Kyle facing a threat capable of overwhelming even a White Lantern.