Cerebus #7

Subtitled "Elpod Again" on the cover, this December 1978 issue of Cerebus the Aardvark from Aardvark-Vanaheim features a cover by Frank Thorne that bursts with kinetic energy — a wild-haired, cape-wearing sorcerer leaps forward in mid-shout, flanked by a pair of aardvarks and pursued by cloaked, armed figures against a stark yellow sky and shadowy castle silhouette. The "Elpod Again" banner hints at a returning trickster presence, making this a tantalizing entry in Dave Sim's long-running independent series. It's a vivid snapshot of the sword-and-sorcery flavor Sim was crafting entirely on his own in the early days of the black-and-white comics scene.