Sandman #23

Part two of Neil Gaiman's "Season of Mists" arc arrives in this February 1991 DC issue, with Dave McKean's cover delivering a haunting close-up of a pale, crimson-streaked face that seems to dissolve into layers of architectural shadow and raw, painterly texture. The title treatment — script lettering bleeding into the moody background — perfectly frames the story's atmospheric promise, and the cover text tantalizingly describes the Lord of Dreams returning to Hell and confronting its ruler. Kelley Jones handles the interior art alongside inker Malcolm Jones III, making this a strong creative collaboration anchoring one of comics' most ambitious ongoing narratives.