The End League #7

Rick Remender's dark superhero saga reaches a tense moment in this 2009 Dark Horse issue, with Eric Canete's cover depicting a gaunt, skull-faced figure in red and blue looming over a bound and gagged blonde woman in a blue costume — a countdown device visible on her wrist suggesting time is very much running out. Matthew Wilson's coloring deepens the dread, playing the checkerboard floor and stained-glass backdrop against the vivid red ropes that leave the captive helpless. It's a gripping visual snapshot of a series that never lets its characters — or readers — rest easy.