New Mutants #16

Christian Ward's moody, painterly cover for this 2021 Marvel series says everything you need to know about the tension at play: a luminous sword bisects the image, with a cluster of young mutant faces rendered in deep shadow and amber above, while a massive, snarling demonic creature — all blue smoke, bared teeth, and hollow white eyes — looms hungrily from below. Writer Vita Ayala and artist Rod Reis craft a series that balances the bonds of the New Mutants against genuine darkness, and "One Step Behind" feels like a chapter where that balance is very much in question. If you've been following this run, issue #16 carries exactly the kind of ominous weight its cover promises.