Books of Magick: Life During Wartime #9

Frank Quitely's cover for this 2005 Vertigo entry delivers an unsettling image: a massive, rune-covered stone creature with glowing red eyes looms over a young glasses-wearing figure in warrior's gear, gripping him by the head with enormous hands. The sheer scale between the two makes the threat feel genuinely oppressive, and the intricate sigil-like markings etched across the creature's body hint at the deep magical undercurrents running through Si Spencer and Dean Ormston's series. If you've been following Books of Magick: Life During Wartime, issue #9 looks to raise the stakes considerably.