Sweet Tooth #20

A bold yellow "X-ING" road sign dominates the cover of Sweet Tooth #20, its diamond shape bearing the unmistakable silhouette of an antlered, hybrid-animal head — a quietly haunting image that sets the tone for "Endangered Species: Part One." Dark pine trees frame the bottom edge against a bruised purple sky, giving the whole composition a foreboding, wilderness-survival feel. Jeff Lemire's stark, hand-crafted linework and José Villarrubia's moody coloring make this 2011 Vertigo issue feel like a warning sign you'd be wise not to ignore.