Lucifer #4

Vertigo's Lucifer hits its fourth issue with a cover by Duncan Fegredo that's hard to look away from: a white-suited, white-haired Lucifer looms in close-up, his expression coolly severe, while two young girls in school uniforms flee across his dark shirtfront — pursued by a shambling cluster of gaunt, ghoulish figures. The juxtaposition of that crisp, elegant exterior against the grim tableau within perfectly sets the tone for a series where the fallen angel operates on his own inscrutable terms. Mike Carey, Warren Pleece, and Dean Ormston bring "Born with the Dead" to life inside, making this September 2000 issue a compelling chapter in one of Vertigo's most ambitious ongoing series.