The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition #5

In "Chapter One: Which Occurs in the Wake of What Has Gone Before," Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli weave a haunting, intimate tale as Robert Gadling—immortal and burdened by centuries of memory—finds himself at a Renaissance Fair, drawn there by his girlfriend. Amid the pageantry and fleeting illusions, he encounters Death, yet chooses to keep walking through time, haunted by what he’s lived and what he might still become. The issue’s moody, painterly art by Zulli and evocative colors by Daniel Vozzo and Digital Chameleon bring a dreamlike weight to the story, while Michael Wm. Kaluta’s striking cover captures the quiet melancholy at its heart.