Percy Gloom #[nn]

Cathy Malkasian's Percy Gloom is a quietly affecting 2007 Fantagraphics release that announces its singular vision right on the cover: a small, wide-eyed man in a red coat and brown hat stands alone in a vast golden field, clutching what appears to be a letter or map, with dramatic storm-lit mountains looming behind him. The painting-like quality of Malkasian's cover art — every brushstroke of that bruised sky and sweeping landscape entirely her own — sets a tone that feels both melancholy and full of quiet wonder. It's the kind of book that draws you in simply by the way its lonely little protagonist stares out at a world that seems far too large for him.