The Shadow #4

Bill Sienkiewicz's painted cover for this fourth chapter of "Shadows and Light" is genuinely striking — a gaunt, white-haired elderly figure in a dark suit clutches what appears to be a glowing candle or flame, rendered against an ornate, tapestry-like golden background that gives the whole image an eerie, dreamlike weight. The "Suggested for Mature Readers" label is well-earned; Andy Helfer and Sienkiewicz were clearly pushing DC's pulp hero into unsettling new territory in 1987. If you've been following this arc, "Balance of Power" promises a continuation of the series' moody, painterly ambition.