The Ray #4

The penultimate chapter of DC's six-issue miniseries arrives with a cover tagline that says it all — "In a Blaze of Power…" — as the Ray, rendered in striking white-and-purple, clashes at close range with a massive, shadowy armored adversary crackling with explosive golden energy. Joe Quesada's pencils (inked here by Joe Rubinstein) capture the raw kinetic fury of the confrontation beautifully, filling the cover with searing light bursting against dark, jagged forms. If "Lies" is the story's title and this collision is its cover promise, issue #4 looks like a compelling reason to see the miniseries through to its finish.