Southern Cross #2

Southern Cross #2 brings the tension of this Image sci-fi series right to the surface, with a close-up cover by Becky Cloonan that puts a guarded, intense man front and center — his wary eyes and tense expression suggesting he's not entirely at ease aboard whatever vessel surrounds him. Flanking him in the industrial, pipe-lined background are two armored or helmeted figures, and a bold red diagonal slash cuts across the composition, lending the whole image a sense of unease and fractured trust. Cloonan's linework, colored by Lee Loughridge in cool, moody blues and greens, makes this 2015 release feel like the kind of thriller where nobody onboard is quite who they seem.