A group of convicted criminals, disaffected soldiers, and con-men thrown together on a secret mission where they’ll likely die is an irresistible hook for a movie or a comic. It’s also a great starting point for an adventuring party, which is sort of what’s happening in Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode) and Rebekah Isaacs’ (Buffy: One Girl in All the World) Reaver.

Reaver, published by Skybound Entertainment through Image Comics, takes place in a world at war, where one of two opposing armies needs a completely disposable and deniable elite squad to go take out the other’s secret weapon. And so the Imperials build one, from the most dangerous prisoners it can find, motivated by pain of death to do a job that will still probably kill them.

I got the chance to read all of Reaver #1 before it hits shelves on July 10, and even though the Dirty Dozen formula and dark high fantasy settings are pretty old hat to me, I was immediately sucked in. Jordan and Isaacs make the heavy lifting of introducing their setting and their six leads look easy. Add in color work from Alex Guimarães and covers by the inimitable Becky Cloonan, and this is a series to watch.

And you can get a sneak peek below, with an exclusive preview of three pages of Reaver #1 and Cloonan’s striking covers for issues 1-3. Here’s the official synopsis for Reaver for good measure: