Madame Xanadu #24

Madame Xanadu, published by Vertio / DC Comics is a consistently good comic written by Matt Wagner and mostly drawn by Amy Reeder Hadley. Madame Xanadu doesn't always feature the title character as the main character in the story, so in that respect it's like Neil Gaiman's Sandman. The newest issue, like the next several issues, is a self contained story that is a great jumping on point for new readers as it doesn't require you to know anything about the Madame Xanadu character (basically she's a sorceress), just that you like well crafted stories.

Madame Xanadu #24 is illustrated and colored by new-comer Marley Zarcone, and with a style that evokes Becky Cloonan, this is an artist to watch. This issue is titled Extra-Sensory, is set in 1963, and features as the main character, Rosalyn, who develops an ability to see horrific things that are about to happen to people. This is a very creepy story and Matt Wagner also uses the setting, with its pre - U.S. Civil Rights (late 1960's) period, to great effect. This is a home run comic, like last week's Unknown Soldier #21, which was a great self-contained single issue history of the AK-47 automatic rifle). There are already two trade collections of Madame Xanadu, with the second one being entirely illustrated by Madame Xanadu visual creator Mike Kaluta (who unfortunately rarely does interior sequential art).