Black Summer

Warren Ellis and Juan José Ryp launched this visceral, politically charged series at Avatar Press in 2008, a stark tale of a former superhero team turned fugitives after they assassinate the President of the United States. Across its single, dense issue—the first of what was intended as a longer run—the story sets a grim tone for examining power, justice, and the consequences of extreme action. Ryp's hyper-detailed, unflinching art pairs perfectly with Ellis's sharp, uncompromising script, making Black Summer a notable, if truncated, entry in the creator-owned comics landscape of the late 2000s.