Thunderbolts #78

Thunderbolts #78 takes a sharp creative swing with a cover that parodies a lad-magazine layout, complete with mock headlines like "Life Lessons: Don't Be Like That Loser!" and "Tragedy Strikes — Behind the Scenes with Jersey's Regional Champ." Center stage is a fierce, locs-wearing woman in boxing gear, blood-stained gloved fist raised, radiating the kind of quiet menace that makes you want to find out exactly what she's capable of. Writer John Arcudi and cover artist Francisco Ruiz Velasco deliver a visually clever package that signals this 2003 series isn't afraid to have some fun with form while keeping things genuinely compelling.