Cerebus #131

Part of the celebrated "Jaka's Story" arc, this installment of Cerebus presents a quietly unsettling cover by Dave Sim and Gerhard: a young long-haired woman and a large, white-masked figure stand side by side in a dimly lit stone corridor, a single torch flickering behind them — the mood tense and mournful. Sim and Gerhard's collaborative painted cover work is on full atmospheric display here, with the shadowed stonework lending an almost medieval claustrophobia to the scene. At $2.00, this 1990 Aardvark-Vanaheim issue is a compelling entry in one of independent comics' most ambitious long-form narratives.