Fables #64

There's something quietly enchanting about this cover by James Jean — a dark-haired young woman presides over a round table crowded with children in party hats, six small cakes flickering with candles between them, red balloons and streamers filling the air with festive color. The mood is warm yet slightly otherworldly, that mix of celebration and unease that Fables does so well. Writer Bill Willingham and artist Aaron Alexovich bring "The Birthday Secret" to Vertigo in 2007, and if this gathering of fairy-tale children is any indication, the party holds more than cake.