Rat Queens #5

Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch's Rat Queens was already one of 2014's most entertaining fantasy comics, and this fifth issue keeps that energy alive with a cover that's equal parts charming and darkly funny. Roc Upchurch renders all four Queens — a red-haired human, a curly-haired human, and two pointy-eared elves — seated around a blood-spattered tea table, sipping from dainty cups with cheerful indifference to the carnage covering their dresses. It's a delightfully absurd image that captures everything this series does so well: feminine camaraderie, high fantasy, and a sense of humor about all the mayhem in between.