Outlaw Nation #14

Vertigo's Outlaw Nation reaches its fourteenth issue with a cover by Glenn Fabry that crackles with tension: a sharp-edged blonde woman in black looms over a shirtless, long-haired man sprawled across a purple chaise, her arm raised and wielding what appears to be a thin implement — all set against a turbulent red-and-orange backdrop that suggests fire or raw emotion. The composition balances intimacy and menace in equal measure, which feels entirely at home in Jamie Delano's gritty series. With interior art from Goran Parlov and inks by Goran Sudžuka, this December 2001 installment of "100 Dead Miles" looks like essential reading for fans of Vertigo's darker, more literary edge.