The Hammer #4

The fourth and final chapter of Kelley Jones' creator-owned Dark Horse series closes out with a cover that crackles with eerie energy — a darkly glamorous woman in a purple corset reaches out with an outstretched gloved arm, while a small silhouetted figure stands at the center of a swirling, hypnotic vortex that seems ready to swallow them whole. Jones' distinctively lush linework gives the scene a brooding, pulpy atmosphere that feels perfectly matched to a story titled "The Opener of the Way." It's a satisfying visual punctuation mark on what has been a boldly personal 1998 Dark Horse miniseries.