Outsiders #44

The cover asks the question right out loud — "Nightwing and the Red Hood… Side by Side?" — and the drenched, rain-soaked image of these two complicated allies standing back-to-back in the darkness makes the pairing feel both thrilling and uneasy. Nightwing crouches in the foreground with his escrima sticks at the ready, while the gun-wielding Red Hood looms behind him in a long coat, his distinctive crimson helmet gleaming through the downpour. Judd Winick scripts this "Pay As You Go" opener, with interior art by Carlo Barberi and a striking cover by penciler Matthew Clark and inker Art Thibert that perfectly captures the tension of two very different figures choosing — at least for the moment — the same side.