The Books of Magic #56

Vertigo's The Books of Magic #56 from January 1999 presents "The Last Molly Story," with cover art by MW Kaluta that draws you in immediately — a contemplative young woman dominates the image, her dark hair swirling with small red demons that clamber and cavort around her head, while a tiny boy huddles in the clouds near her clasped hands. The composition beautifully balances the unsettling and the tender, hinting at a story where the supernatural presses in close around very human concerns. Inside, writer-artist Peter Gross brings the same thoughtful energy to this mature-readers title that has made the series a distinctive corner of the DC/Vertigo universe.