ARIA: The Uses of Enchantment #1

The cover of this 2003 Image Comics series opener sets a quietly mesmerizing tone: Aria reclines casually on a ledge against a moody urban skyline, her reflection in the water below revealing an entirely different world — a dreamlike realm of cherry blossoms and castle spires. Jay Anacleto's cover art makes wonderful use of that mirrored divide, suggesting a character who exists at the threshold between the everyday and the enchanted. With Brian Holguin writing and Lan Medina on art, this first chapter of a four-part story promises a thoughtful blend of urban fantasy and something altogether more magical.