The Unwritten #32.5

Vertigo's The Unwritten #32.5 arrives in early 2012 with a cover by Yuko Shimizu that commands immediate attention: a crowned, winged sphinx rendered in deep black and ornate gold strides through a river of red, skulls and scattered bones trailing in its wake beneath a star-dotted sky. The image carries the weight of ancient myth made genuinely unsettling, setting a tone that feels both illuminated-manuscript precious and genuinely macabre. With Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Dean Ormston at the helm for "Set in Stone," this unconventional numbered issue promises the series' trademark blend of literary ambition and dark imagination.