Planetary #21

Planetary #21 arrives in a burst of psychedelic energy, with John Cassaday's cover channeling late-'60s rock-poster art — bold lime green and hot pink swirling around a horned, masked figure whose flowing robes spiral outward in ornate Art Nouveau curves. The story is titled "Death Machine Telemetry," and that combination of otherworldly imagery and ominous phrasing captures everything that makes Warren Ellis and Cassaday's series so compellingly strange. Cassaday's 2004 Eisner Award for Best Artist is proudly noted right on the cover, and this issue makes it easy to see why.