The Witching #9

Vertigo's The Witching wraps up its ninth issue with a hauntingly intimate cover by Tara McPherson — a pair of tattooed, fishnet-stocking-clad wrists clasp together by candlelight, cradling a wide-eyed black cat with glowing green eyes between them, one wrist adorned with a skull-and-crossbones cuff. The warm, flickering glow of scattered candles and McPherson's smooth, stylized painting style give the whole image an eerie yet strangely tender atmosphere that perfectly suits a mature-readers series rooted in the supernatural. With Vankin, Gallagher, and Green delivering the interior story "My Little Underground," this 2005 issue is a fine example of Vertigo doing dark fantasy with real artistic care.