The Hammer #2

Issue two of Kelley Jones' four-part Dark Horse series delivers a cover that's genuinely hard to look away from: a powerfully built, bare-chested warrior grips a blade while coiled in the crushing embrace of a massive serpent, all set against a dense background seething with dozens of leering, shrieking skulls and monstrous faces. Jones' pencils and inks give the whole composition a raw, tactile energy — every scale on the snake and every grimacing visage in the crowd feels painstakingly rendered. "A Field of Blackbirds" promises a story as intense as the imagery surrounding it, and with colors by Les Dorscheid and Stu Hiner making that amber and green palette pop against the monochrome horror behind it, this is a striking chapter in what's shaping up to be a compelling series.