Swamp Thing #12

Enrique Breccia's painted cover for this 2005 Vertigo issue is quietly unsettling — a trench-coated, hat-wearing figure with a gaping maw stands amid swirling grey atmosphere, while thick, segmented crimson tendrils coil menacingly around it, a ghostly cathedral fading into the background. It's a moody, atmospheric image that captures the gothic horror tone of "Love in Vain Chapter IV" without giving anything away. Joshua Dysart and Breccia make for a compelling creative pairing on one of DC's most deeply strange and rewarding ongoing series.