American Vampire 1976 #5

The penultimate chapter of American Vampire 1976 arrives with a cover that's equal parts haunting and beautiful — a red-eyed woman, calm and unnerving, holds a dripping monstrous skull before a deep crimson circle that frames her like a dark madonna. Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque's DC Black Label series has always excelled at this kind of atmosphere, and Albuquerque's stark black-and-cream linework here, colored with blood-red precision by Dave McCaig, distills the series' dread into a single unforgettable image. "Part Five: The Big Lie" promises the tension is only tightening as this 1970s-set horror saga heads toward its conclusion.