Hit-Girl #5

The Canada arc kicks off in Hit-Girl #5, and Eduardo Risso's cover sets a chilling, visceral tone: a battered, blood-soaked Hit-Girl kneels in a crimson-stained snowfield, sword planted at her side, defiantly meeting your gaze while an enormous, red-eyed bear looms over her with jaws wide open against a cold, starlit sky. Jeff Lemire takes the writing reins for this four-part adventure, and the pairing with Risso — whose stark, atmospheric linework gives the scene real menace — feels like a genuinely exciting creative match for the character. If this cover is any promise of what's ahead in the frozen north, "Canada Part 1 of 4" is one hell of a way to open a new chapter.