Sandman Mystery Theatre #55

This atmospheric 1997 Vertigo entry pulls you straight into the noir tension of "The Crone, Act Three of Four," with a shadowy, fedora-wearing figure peering through round spectacles dominating the upper half of the cover — brooding and enigmatic against a stark monochrome palette. Below, the close-up of what appears to be a vintage radio grille reinforces the period mood, while the cover's haunting tag line evokes Manhattan gripped by dread. Cover art by Gavin Wilson and Richard Bruning gives this penultimate chapter of the arc a genuinely unsettling presence on any shelf.