Red Robin #12

This 2010 DC series reaches its twelfth issue with a cover that pulls no punches: a menacing, sword-wielding villain looms over a fallen, caped Red Robin, gripping him by the head against a blood-drenched crimson backdrop. Writer Christopher Yost and interior artists Marcus To and Ray McCarthy bring "Collision, the Conclusion" to a close, and the cover — also by To and McCarthy — makes clear that Tim Drake has been pushed to his absolute limit. It's a striking, tension-loaded image that sets the stage for what promises to be a hard-fought finale.