Journey into Mystery #520

Marvel's long-running anthology series takes a noir turn in this May 1998 issue, spotlighting Hannibal King — Vampire Detective — in the first chapter of "The Long Cold Kill!" Karl Kerschl's cover sets the mood perfectly: a brooding, trench-coated King stalks a shadowy urban alley, a skull-topped lamp glowing behind him while an eerie, skeletal stone face looms from the darkness to his left and bats circle an ominous sky above. With Marv Wolfman writing and Kerschl's sharp linework inked by Al Milgrom, this is a stylish blend of supernatural horror and hard-boiled detective atmosphere that's hard to resist.