The Unwritten #16

An elderly man looms large against a dreamy cosmos of swirling clouds and scattered golden stars, his outstretched hands framing a brilliant starburst at the cover's heart — while far below, a quiet earthly landscape sits in stark contrast to the celestial drama above. Yuko Shimizu's cover for this October 2010 Vertigo issue weaves prose fragments vertically through the composition like falling threads of narrative, giving the whole image a haunting, literary texture perfectly suited to Mike Carey and Peter Gross's The Unwritten. Nominated for three Eisner Awards, this series clearly struck a chord, and issue #16 — "Dead Man's Knock: Conversations" — promises the same thoughtful blend of storytelling and imagination that earned it that recognition.