Crude #5

The cover of this fifth issue from Steve Orlando, Garry Brown, and Lee Loughridge says everything with quiet devastation: a battered photograph of two people in an intimate embrace — a small heart drawn in the corner — lies in a pool of spreading dark liquid on a grimy floor, bullet holes scarring the wall behind it. That single image of a cherished photo discarded amid violence captures the emotional core of Crude beautifully — a brutal world pressing hard against something deeply personal. If you've been following this Skybound/Image series, issue five looks like a turning point you won't want to miss.