The Twelve #2

The second chapter of J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston's twelve-part Marvel series arrives with a striking cover by Kaare Andrews — a blue-and-red masked figure, rifle in hand, crouches tensely beneath a moonlit sky while shadowy figures press in from the foreground. Billed right on the cover as "Captain Wonder Strikes for Freedom: A Book-Length Thriller," this 2008 series wears its Golden Age pulp sensibilities proudly, balancing wartime atmosphere with genuine superhero grit. If the moody, cinematic tension of Andrews' painted cover is any indication, this is a series with real ambition.