Spawn: The Dark Ages #17

The unsettling, painterly cover by Ashley Wood sets the mood perfectly for this 2000 chapter of Spawn: The Dark Ages — a ghostly, blurred figure dominates the shadowy central image while a column of four decaying, stitch-marked skulls lines the right edge, suggesting dread layered upon dread. "The Circle and the Worm" promises the kind of medieval horror atmosphere this series does so well, with Steve Niles writing and Nat Jones providing interior art. For fans of dark fantasy with a genuinely haunted visual sensibility, issue #17 is a compelling addition to the run.