American Virgin #23

The final chapter of American Virgin arrives with issue #23, cover-dated March 2008, closing out the Vertigo series that writer Steven T. Seagle and artist Becky Cloonan built over nearly two years. Celia Calle's cover art captures two figures — one rendered in vivid reds and oranges, the other in deep greens and browns — intertwined with a massive serpent in a fluid, almost hypnotic composition that feels equal parts dangerous and beautiful. It's a fittingly charged send-off image for a series that never shied away from bold visual storytelling.