Sandman Mystery Theatre #49

The masked vigilante Wesley Dodds looms front and center on this striking April 1997 cover, his gas mask and wide-brimmed hat rendered in a moody, almost photographic style by Gavin Wilson and Richard Bruning — while a figure to his right raises a pistol in tense opposition. This issue kicks off "The Return of the Scarlet Ghost," a four-part arc from the creative team of Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, and Guy Davis, promising the pulpy noir atmosphere that makes Sandman Mystery Theatre such a compelling corner of the DC Vertigo line.