Hardware #24

Hardware's armored face dominates this cover in an intense close-up, his glowing green eyes and sharp red faceplate radiating coiled menace as he grips what appears to be a hapless figure in the lower right. The tagline "Trust Never Sleeps" sets an appropriately uneasy tone for Part 3 of this multi-part story arc, rendered with striking detail by cover artist Prentis Rollins. Milestone's 1995 lineup was producing some genuinely compelling superhero work, and this issue — with its atmospheric tension locked right into the cover design — is a solid example of why Hardware stood out in the line.