Kabuki: Reflections #5

David Mack's watercolor and ink cover for this fifth installment of Kabuki: Reflections is quietly arresting — a close portrait of Kabuki rendered in warm ochres, purples, and soft whites, her dark upswept hair adorned with hair sticks, a large Japanese kanji brushed boldly above her. The restrained beauty of the image reflects the series' reputation for painterly, literary storytelling that earned Mack five Eisner Award nominations. Published through Marvel's Icon imprint in 2005, this is the kind of comics art that rewards simply sitting with the cover before you even turn the first page.