Judge Dredd #1

IDW's 2012 launch of Judge Dredd wastes no time establishing its tone: the cover by Nelson Dániel splits the frame between a gloved hand leveling a futuristic firearm and a blood-spattered Dredd staring down the barrel with absolute cold-blooded resolve. It's a faceoff rendered with gritty, cinematic detail — that cracked helmet and the blood on the visor doing a lot of quiet storytelling before you've read a single page. Writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Nelson Dániel kick things off with "Ripe," and this striking opener makes a convincing case that Mega-City One's toughest lawman is in very good hands.