Fables #22

From the Parisian rooftops visible through a curtained window, a sinister puppet-master figure looms, dangling strings that connect to a glamorous blonde woman lying prone on a bed below — a striking image of control and danger that perfectly sets the tone for "Cinderella Libertine." Bill Willingham's Vertigo series continues to weave fairy-tale archetypes into something far more sophisticated, and this April 2004 cover by James Jean makes that tension immediately, viscerally clear. With art by Tony Akins and inks by Jimmy Palmiotti inside, this is Fables at its most atmospheric and intriguing.