Arcana Annual #1

Part of DC Vertigo's 1994 "Children's Crusade" crossover event, this annual brings together the mystical world of Books of Magic in a handsome oversized package. John Bolton's painted cover depicts a bespectacled young man — clearly Tim Hunter — standing at the edge of a rocky precipice alongside a cloaked, broad-hatted figure, while a large dark bird circles ominously overhead, the whole scene suffused with a dusky, otherworldly atmosphere. Written by John Ney Rieber with art by Peter Gross, "Long Walks in Dancing Shoes" promises the blend of wonder and unease that makes this Vertigo series so compelling.