The Spirit #31

Set against a moonlit graveyard, Nick Cardy's cover for issue #31 captures the Spirit — fedora, blue suit, and red tie intact — trading blows with a pair of armed thugs while a bound and gagged blonde woman watches helplessly from the foreground. The atmosphere is moody and kinetic, with gravestones cutting against a teal night sky as fists and a pistol fly in equal measure. "The Celtic Stone, Part One" promises an engrossing new arc from writer-artist Mike Ploog and inker Dan Green, and this September 2009 DC issue is a fine place to dive in.