Cerebus #10

From the small-press frontier of 1979, this Aardvark-Vanaheim issue finds the little grey aardvark crouched low and clutching a golden weapon, face-to-face with the red-haired Sophia — whose return is boldly announced right on the cover — while a large, menacing silhouette looms in the background casting a long shadow over them both. Dave Sim handles every aspect of the cover, and the composition does a fine job of layering tension and charm in equal measure. "Merchant of Unshib!" promises an adventure that blends swords-and-sorcery atmosphere with Cerebus's singular brand of deadpan wit.