Sandman Mystery Theatre #31

The masked Sandman looms large against the face of an enormous clock on this atmospheric 1995 Vertigo cover — the ticking timepiece and the ominous tagline "...burning tires, grinding metal. Had he arrived too late?" set a perfectly pulpy noir mood for Act III of "The Hourman." Matt Wagner and Steven T. Seagle continue their hardboiled collaboration with art by Guy Davis, while the cover's striking photomontage design is the work of Gavin Wilson, Richard Bruning, and Cliff Young. If you've been following this four-part arc, this penultimate chapter promises the tension is about to reach its peak.