The Books of Magic #49

The "Slave of Heavens" arc reaches its conclusion here, and Michael Wm. Kaluta's cover art makes the stakes feel genuinely cosmic — a bespectacled young Tim Hunter clutches a chained, winged figure at the center of a swirling host of fantastic creatures: dragons, griffins, armed angels, and other beings filling every corner of the composition. The warm golden tones and intricate linework give the image an almost illuminated-manuscript quality, fitting perfectly for a series steeped in magical lore. John Ney Rieber and Peter Gross close out this storyline in a 1998 Vertigo issue that wears its ambition beautifully on its sleeve.