Hellspawn #5

Ashley Wood's painterly cover for Hellspawn #5 sets a brooding, atmospheric tone — Spawn crouches in near-darkness, his massive cape unfurling like tattered wings above him while he grips what appears to be a heavy multi-barreled weapon. The muted earth tones and moody shadows give the image a gritty, almost nightmarish quality that perfectly suits Brian Michael Bendis's story "Selling Fear." Wood handles both interior art and cover duties here, and his distinctive textured style makes this 2001 Image series feel unlike anything else on the shelf.