The Pro

Garth Ennis and Amanda Conner teamed up for this single-issue Image Comics satire from 2002, which gleefully skewers the superhero genre by turning a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking prostitute into a costumed champion. The story follows its unlikely heroine as she is recruited by a cabal of alien beings to join a team of Earth's mightiest heroes—only to find that her unapologetically crude and pragmatic worldview clashes spectacularly with their noble pretensions. A sharp, irreverent one-shot that remains a cult favorite for its unflinching, darkly comedic take on caped crusaders.