The Shield #2

DC's patriotic powerhouse takes center stage in The Shield #2 (December 2009), subtitled "The Enemy Within," with a striking cover by Francis Manapul that places the star-spangled hero front and center — mouth open in a battle cry, stars-and-stripes costume blazing — while a crowd of UN-marked soldiers surrounds him, many with unsettling red-glowing eyes that hint at something deeply wrong within the ranks. The tension between the Shield's defiant stance and the saluting, compromised soldiers around him makes for a compelling visual that earns the "enemy within" tagline. Written by Eric Trautmann with art by Marco Rudy and inks by Mick Gray, this issue also features a second backup story spotlighting Inferno, making it a solid double-feature package from DC's 2009 revival of this classic character.