Shaman's Tears #4

Mike Grell's Shaman's Tears #4 from Image Comics delivers a striking cover entirely of his own penciling and inking — a close-up of the face-painted protagonist dominates the center, a ceremonial feather and golden emblem anchoring the foreground, while an ensemble of supporting characters — including a winged warrior woman, a white-haired figure, and several others — fill the flanking panels like a gallery of threats and allies. The split-light composition, half the hero's face bathed in shadow, gives the whole image a brooding, spiritual weight that sets this series apart from the superhero crowd of 1994. If you've been following Grell's blend of Native American mysticism and raw action, this is a satisfying chapter in the run.