Stormwatch #42

Tom Raney and Randy Elliott put together a striking cover for this November 1996 Image issue, depicting a determined white-haired figure at the forefront channeling a glowing energy sphere, flanked by a massive armored brute with a red-masked face, a translucent green powerhouse, and a blonde woman in the background — all set against a crackling lightning-streaked sky. Warren Ellis was well into his celebrated run on the title by this point, and the assembled team radiates the tense, hard-edged energy that defined Stormwatch in the mid-'90s. If you've been following Ellis, Raney, and Elliott's work on the series, issue #42 looks like another compelling chapter in their reinvention of this team.