Ultimate Comics X-Men #5

This quietly intense cover by Kaare Andrews dominates with a close, moody portrait of a blonde woman holding a small, crackling energy source to her lips — the cool blue spark against dark surroundings creating a genuinely striking sense of tension and mystery. Nick Spencer and Paco Medina's "Chapter Five" continues their 2012 run on the Ultimate Universe's mutant outcasts, and the cover's intimate, almost cinematic composition suggests the story is in no rush to let you look away. A compelling chapter in what's shaping up to be a thoughtful, grounded take on the X-Men.