The Authority #20

Frank Quitely and Trevor Scott's cover for this January 2001 WildStorm issue arranges the full Authority team in a striking circular formation — figures including a winged member, a massive grey-skinned powerhouse, and several others radiating outward against the curve of the Earth itself, electric lightning crackling at their center. It's a bold compositional choice that gives the ensemble equal weight while hinting at the cosmic scale of "Earth Inferno - Four of Four," the concluding chapter of this arc. Mark Millar's run with this team delivers the kind of confident, world-shaking superhero drama that made The Authority one of WildStorm's most compelling titles.