Cerebus #166

Issue #166 of the long-running Cerebus saga opens the new year with a cover that's quietly arresting: the gray aardvark himself slumps in a wooden chair atop a red-and-black chessboard, clutching a small doll and a sword while scattered chess pieces surround him — an image that radiates both weariness and unresolved tension. Dave Sim and Gerhard bring their usual meticulous craft to the artwork, the stark black background throwing every detail of Cerebus's posture into sharp relief. Part of the "Mothers & Daughters" arc, this sixteenth chapter of that storyline, subtitled "Women 4," promises more of the ambitious, unconventional storytelling that has made this series a singular achievement in 1993 independent comics.