Sandman #17

Part one of "Dream Country" opens with this haunting 1990 issue of The Sandman, its Dave McKean cover immediately signaling something both beautiful and unsettling. A pale, luminous female figure — Calliope herself — emerges from a wash of deep crimson, surrounded by dark, branching tendrils and the iridescent eyes of peacock feathers. Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, and Malcolm Jones III bring their considerable talents to this standalone arc, and McKean's painterly cover art makes it clear that whatever awaits inside, it won't be easily forgotten.