Cerebus #135

The cover of this June 1990 installment from Aardvark-Vanaheim says more with silence than many covers manage with action — a young blonde woman sits hunched on a simple wooden stool, her face buried in her hands, dramatic shadows falling across a bare stone wall behind her. Dave Sim and Gerhard's cover work is quietly devastating, the subdued palette and stark composition giving Jaka's Story chapter 22 a weight that's hard to shake. Paired with the interior story "Mystery Achievement 5," this issue continues one of independent comics' most ambitious long-form narratives.