Cerebus #129

Part of Dave Sim and Gerhard's extended "Jaka's Story" arc, this December 1989 installment carries the chapter title "The Poet 11" and showcases a wonderfully composed cover that dominates the frame with a dancer's blue-stocking-clad legs mid-performance, ankle adorned with pearl beads, while onlookers — a smiling blond man with a drink, a top-hatted figure smoking in a dark coat, and a waiter in the background — observe the scene with varying degrees of amusement. Sim and Gerhard's collaboration here is visually playful, using the dancer's elevated foot as the dramatic centerpiece that nearly fills the entire composition. It's a quietly theatrical image that captures the social atmosphere the "Jaka's Story" sequence was celebrated for throughout its 1989 run.