Hellblazer #176

Tim Bradstreet's photorealistic cover for this October 2002 Vertigo issue arranges three figures in overlapping circular compositions: an elderly person seated in a leather chair dominates the upper half, while a sharp-featured man and a dark-haired woman are rendered as close portrait studies below, all set against a moody cobblestone alleyway backdrop. A ghostly skull image lurks in the upper corner, adding an unsettling undercurrent to the whole design. Mike Carey's "High on Life" wraps up its second part here, with Steve Dillon and Jimmy Palmiotti handling the interior art — a strong creative team for one of Vertigo's most enduring mature-readers titles.