The Massive #8

The Massive #8 brings Brian Wood's post-crisis seafaring series into "Subcontinental: Schism," the second chapter of a three-part arc, with a striking cover by John Paul Leon that fragments three faces — a sunglasses-wearing man dominating the foreground, a sharp-eyed woman with vivid orange hair, and a third figure partially glimpsed below — against a moody industrial backdrop of cranes and the word "AYUBOW." Dave Stewart's bold two-tone palette of deep navy and burnt orange gives the whole composition an urgent, almost propaganda-poster energy. Garry Brown handles interior art on this Dark Horse gem, making it a fine entry point into one of 2013's most thoughtful action series.