Moonshadow #9

Jon J. Muth's painterly cover for this 1995 DC/Vertigo reprint edition says everything about Moonshadow's singular blend of whimsy and melancholy — two marionettes, a red-suited clown figure and a shaggy bear-like puppet, dangle together on their strings against a pale, smoky ground. There's something quietly poignant about these dangling figures, suspended between motion and stillness, that perfectly captures the dreamlike tone J. M. DeMatteis brings to "Book Nine: Gloriously Crown'd." If you've been following this beautifully crafted series, this issue's cover alone is a reminder of how gracefully the collaboration between DeMatteis and Muth transforms comics into something closer to illustrated poetry.