Stormwatch: Team Achilles #13

Stormwatch: Team Achilles #13 pulls readers straight into a tense, claustrophobic moment — a determined operative in a blue scarf clutches a combat knife at center, hemmed in on all sides by a crowd of hard-edged figures, some wounded and others clearly threatening. Whilce Portacio's cover painting gives the scene a gritty, photorealistic weight that perfectly suits this WildStorm series about soldiers navigating a world of superhumans. With Micah Ian Wright writing and C.P. Smith and Eric Nguyen handling interior art, this 2003 issue looks like exactly the kind of grounded, high-tension thriller the title built its reputation on.