Team 7 #5

The cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith crackles with kinetic energy as a red-goggled combatant fires point-blank while a lightning-charged figure looms behind him — all while a red-haired woman in glasses scrambles away and a long-haired brawler fights at her side, with robotic debris flying at the edges of the frame. The tagline "When Spartan Attacks!" makes clear this fifth issue of the New 52's covert-ops series puts the team through serious paces in "Mission 2.1: The Spartan Way." With Justin Jordan writing and Pascal Alixe and Jesús Merino handling interior art, this April 2013 chapter looks like a tightly wound action showcase for DC's assembled black-ops squad.