American Century #2

A woman leans in close to kiss the cheek of a tense, distracted man — his eyes elsewhere, a gun gripped in his hand — while a moody, haze-lit Hollywood backdrop looms behind them. That charged image sets the tone perfectly for "The Protector," the second chapter of Howard Chaykin and David Tischman's noir-drenched Vertigo series, with cover art by John Van Fleet capturing the uneasy mix of glamour and danger at the heart of *American Century*. If sun-scorched intrigue and mid-century shadows are your thing, this 2002 Hollywood Babylon arc delivers both in spades.