Mage #15

This oversized 1999 finale issue of Matt Wagner's Mage: The Hero Defined presents a striking image of the series' hero, Kevin Matchstick, fist raised skyward as jagged bolts of lightning crackle around him against a stormy blue-grey backdrop — his black shirt bearing the familiar lightning bolt emblem radiating quiet, earned power. Wagner's painted cover carries a cinematic weight that feels like a culmination, the subtitle "The Hero Defined" arching above the bold series logo. At $5.95, this double-sized closer to the second Mage saga is a satisfying send-off to one of indie comics' most personal superhero tales.