The Territory

From 1999, Dark Horse published this four-issue series by writer Jamie Delano and artist David Lloyd, a stark, atmospheric exploration of a divided near-future America. Set in a world where a second Civil War has redrawn the nation's borders, it follows the struggles of those caught in the contested "Territory" between the old Union and a newly formed theocratic state. Delano and Lloyd, both celebrated for their work on Hellblazer and V for Vendetta respectively, bring a gritty, politically charged sensibility to this self-contained story of survival, faith, and resistance. A taut, visually striking work, it stands as a potent example of late-90s Dark Horse's commitment to mature, creator-driven genre fiction.