A Shroud for Waldo #[nn]

Kim Deitch's singular vision fills every inch of this 1992 Fantagraphics release, with grotesque, googly-eyed monsters dominating the foreground while two human figures reach toward a glowing central scene of a girl in yellow — all rendered in Deitch's unmistakable hand-lettered, fever-dream style. The cover alone is a dense, colorful carnival of cartoon horror and wonder, with bulbous creatures, disembodied hands, and a small golden idol tucked into the chaos. At $7.95, this is underground comics sensibility meeting full-color ambition, and Deitch's total creative control — pencils, inks, colors, and lettering all his own — gives it a remarkably cohesive, personal energy.