Thor: Vikings #3

The third chapter of Garth Ennis and Glenn Fabry's five-part MAX series brings us this genuinely unsettling cover: a decayed, grinning Viking warrior in an ornate golden helmet looms large against a fiery burnt-orange sky, one rotting hand raised and a broad sword clutched in the other. Fabry's painted cover work renders every grim detail — the corroded flesh, the bared teeth, the battle-worn armor — with visceral confidence that perfectly suits the series' mature tone. If the first two issues pulled you in, issue three of Thor: Vikings makes very clear that whatever ancient evil Harald Jaekelsson's undead horde represents, it isn't letting up anytime soon.