The Unwritten: Apocalypse #3

A gaunt, shrouded figure stands at the center of this haunting Vertigo cover, entwined by the coiling body of a massive multi-headed serpent whose fanged mouths strike outward against a deep crimson sky — cover artist Yuko Shimizu renders the image with meticulous, almost woodblock-print precision that makes it impossible to look away. The gnarled, dead branches surrounding the figure add to the atmosphere of dread and mythic weight that The Unwritten: Apocalypse has been building so effectively. Mike Carey and Peter Gross continue "War Stories" in this May 2014 installment, and this third issue promises the same ambitious blend of storytelling and dark imagination that defines the series.