The Blue Beetle #21

A genuinely unsettling cover by Rafael Albuquerque sets the tone for this 2008 DC chapter of Jaime Reyes's run as Blue Beetle — a green-hooded, cloaked figure looms in the foreground, bloody hands outstretched beside what appears to be a broken chair, while the armored Blue Beetle stands in the background surveying a blood-splattered scene. The story arc subtitle "Judgment and Jury" hints at serious stakes, and the contrast between the menacing hooded figure and Beetle's lone silhouette makes this one of the more atmospheric covers of the series. Writer Justin Peniston and artist Andy Kuhn bring the interior story to life under that striking Albuquerque image.