S.H.I.E.L.D. #4

Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver's ambitious S.H.I.E.L.D. series continues with "Chapter Four: All Together Now," and Gerald Parel's cover sets a suitably grand tone — a cloaked, white-armored figure stands resolute before a blinding, cosmic sphere of white light ringed by swirling geometric patterns, all against a churning storm of fire and red energy. The scale of the imagery feels genuinely awe-inspiring, conveying that whoever this figure is, they're confronting something vast and barely containable. With Sonia Oback, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Christina Strain lending rich, molten color to the whole piece, this 2012 issue looks every bit as epic as the series' grand ambitions deserve.