Ascender #1

Dustin Nguyen's delicate watercolor cover sets a breathtaking tone for this Image series, depicting a young girl perched atop a jagged mountain peak, staff in hand, gazing upward at a pair of ribbon-winged creatures soaring against a luminous full moon. The soft, dreamlike palette — warm earth tones giving way to pale sky — suggests a world where fantasy and wonder coexist with something quietly dangerous. Jeff Lemire and Nguyen bring that same blend of intimacy and epic scope that made their previous collaboration beloved, and this opener promises plenty of both.