Halo: Escalation #18

The cover of Halo: Escalation #18 from Dark Horse Comics delivers an intense face-off between a UNSC soldier — weapon raised and muzzle flashing — and a towering, armored Sangheili (Elite) accompanied by a fearsome, feathered creature rearing up between them, all set against a swirling, otherworldly sky. Jean-Sébastien Rossbach's cover art captures that signature Halo blend of desperate human grit meeting alien power on a jagged, rocky battlefield. With writer Duffy Boudreau and artist Douglas Franchin continuing the series' sharp storytelling, this 2015 issue keeps the tension of the Escalation run running high.