Merciless: The Rise of Ming #4

The penultimate chapter of Scott Beatty's origin saga for Flash Gordon's most formidable villain arrives with a striking Alex Ross cover that says everything about power and consequence. A coldly focused Ming dominates the foreground in ornate spiked armor, cradling a glowing, jeweled artifact that pulses with an eerie green light — while behind him, against a crimson sky and alien cityscape, a robed woman clutches an infant on a high balcony. Ron Adrian and colorist Roni Setiawan bring the interior pages to life, and with "Chapter Four: Absolution" as the title, the tension between Ming's ambition and whatever that distant maternal figure represents feels palpable just from the cover alone.