Cerebus #198

Part of the long-running "Mothers & Daughters" chapter of Dave Sim and Gerhard's remarkable self-publishing saga, this September 1995 issue carries the twelfth installment of "Minds" — and its cover makes a striking, unsettling impression. Against a deep black void, a large clenched fist rests amid shards of shattered red crystal, with a glowing golden orb hovering ominously above — an image rendered with the meticulous crosshatching and atmospheric depth that Sim and Gerhard brought to every page of Cerebus. The mood is one of barely-contained tension, and it's a compelling reason to see what awaits inside.