Protectors, Inc. #2

The second issue of J. Michael Straczynski's Protectors, Inc. from Image/Joe's Comics presents a cover by Gordon Purcell steeped in crime-scene tension — a police officer stands over a fallen blond figure on the ground while two suited men, one crouching and one standing with a camera, examine the scene against a harsh red-and-blue light. Dominating the composition is a close, steely profile of a square-jawed figure looming beneath the series' circular emblem, radiating the kind of quiet authority that suggests superheroes and detective work have become uncomfortably intertwined. Colored by Michael Atiyeh in cool blues and urgent reds, this 2013 issue promises a thoughtful, grounded take on powered protectors in a world that looks very much like our own.