Fairest #21

Vertigo's Fairest #21 kicks off "Of Mice and Men" with a cover by Adam Hughes that oozes cool-edged tension — a sharp-eyed blonde in a dark dress strides forward, pistol in hand, while a stylish collage of panels behind her hints at lingerie, high heels in a shoebox, and a pair of looming monstrous faces lurking in the shadows. It's a striking composition that sets a mood somewhere between film noir and fairy-tale danger, perfectly suited to the mature-readers line. Writer Marc Andreyko and artist Shawn McManus launch their new arc with this February 2014 issue, and the cover alone promises something genuinely intriguing.