Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #5

The five members of Nextwave stride forward in confident formation against a grid of red circuitry and shadowy silhouettes of enemies looming behind them — it's a cover that sells the team's attitude before you've read a single word. Stuart Immonen's clean, stylish linework gives each character a distinct personality, from the white-clad woman at the center to the trench-coated figures flanking her, all anchored by a dangling H.A.T.E. dog tag in the foreground. Warren Ellis and Immonen were delivering some of Marvel's most energetic work in 2006, and this issue looks like no exception.