Stormwatch: P.H.D. #7

Doug Mahnke's cover for this July 2007 WildStorm issue puts an imposing, battle-worn figure front and center — a massively built man in a torn, bloodied white t-shirt gripping a shotgun, flanked by a uniformed police officer on one side and a SWAT operative on the other. The tension radiating from the trio, set against a darkened, chaotic background, makes it clear that Stormwatch: Post Human Division operates at the gritty intersection of superhuman muscle and street-level law enforcement. Christos Gage and Mahnke were delivering one of WildStorm's most grounded takes on powered individuals in 2007, and this cover captures that bruising tone perfectly.