Sandman #58

Part of Neil Gaiman's ambitious "The Kindly Ones" arc, this 1994 DC Vertigo issue features a hauntingly atmospheric Dave McKean cover that bathes a silhouetted profile in deep crimson, layered with ghostly manuscript text and a solitary white lily. The dreamlike composition — drifting between "A" and "Z" at opposite corners — suggests a journey through the full span of something, framed in McKean's signature blend of photography and illustration. With Marc Hempel on interior art and Gaiman at the helm, this is a compelling entry in one of comics' most ambitious ongoing narratives.