Fables #31

Willingham, Buckingham, and Leialoha bring their fairy-tale-in-exile saga to issue #31 with a cover by James Jean that is quietly breathtaking — a couple embraces amid a shower of autumn leaves while pale, cherub-like figures drift overhead, connected by a thin violet thread that weaves through the whole scene with an air of enchantment and unease. The warm russet palette and that tender, melancholy composition make "The Long, Hard Fall" feel like exactly what its title promises. Vertigo's Fables was consistently one of 2005's most visually distinctive books, and this cover is a fine reminder of why.