Runaways #[8]

This 2008 Marvel trade collects the "Dead-End Kids" arc, written by Joss Whedon with art by Michael Ryan, and Jo Chen's cover is a gorgeous piece — a collage of the young Runaways rendered in soft, painterly tones, with the Statue of Liberty rising through a haze of green in the background. The group's faces are arranged in a sweeping composition, their expressions ranging from determined to wary, and the presence of the team's dinosaur companion Old Lace anchors the lower foreground with unmistakable charm. It's an inviting package that showcases both the ensemble's chemistry and Chen's gift for capturing emotional nuance in a single image.