Trees #8

Warren Ellis and Jason Howard's Trees continues its unsettling science-fiction series with issue #8, and the cover alone makes a striking case for the book's mood. Jason Howard's stark, minimalist design — a lone silhouetted figure wielding a tool against a looming monolith, a vivid red trail cutting across the white expanse and erupting into a dark scatter — distills the series' quiet dread into something almost painterly. It's the kind of cover that stops you cold and earns the $2.99 on atmosphere alone.