Now #4

Now #4 is Fantagraphics' acclaimed anthology of cutting-edge comics, and Trenton Doyle Hancock's cover for this 2018 issue makes an immediate, visceral impression — a massive, grimacing figure rendered in dense crosshatching erupts with a swirling vortex of grotesque, wide-eyed faces and writhing bodies bursting from its wide-open mouth, all punctuated by vivid splashes of hot pink against stark black and white. It's the kind of image that sits at the intersection of fine art and underground comics, which is exactly the spirit Now has championed throughout its run. At $9.99, this volume remains one of the best deals in alternative comics for readers hungry for daring, unconventional work.