Artifacts #19

Part of Top Cow's 2012 "Rebirth" initiative, Artifacts #19 kicks off "Phantoms of the Heart" with a cover that immediately sets a tense, mysterious tone. Stjepan Šejić's artwork places a masked surgeon at the operating table — a glowing red heart pendant the only pop of warmth against her sterile green scrubs — while inset panels reveal an unconscious bearded man and a pink-haired woman in a fighting stance, suggesting multiple storylines converging. Ron Marz and Šejić make for a compelling creative pairing, and this opening chapter promises the kind of layered supernatural drama the series does so well.