Critters #23

Fantagraphics' Critters was always a showcase for offbeat anthropomorphic storytelling, and issue #23 leans into that spirit with a cover by Ty Templeton that doubles as a concert handbill — announcing "Teddy Payne and the Bluebears" for one night only, with special guests "Alan Moore & the Sinister Ducks." Front and center is a cool-as-can-be bear in sunglasses lighting a cigarette by lamplight, the very picture of late-night musical cool. Inside, Stan Sakai — handling writing, art, inking, and lettering all on his own — delivers "One Night in the Cold," promising the kind of thoughtful, character-driven work that made Critters a worthy home for independent comics talent in 1988.