Sandman Presents Petrefax (2000) #2
WRITTEN BY MIKE CAREY; ILLUSTRATED BY STEVE LEIALOHA; COVER BY PASCAL ALIXE.
The popular SANDMAN PRESENTS line ? based on characters and concepts from THE SANDMAN ? expands into untraveled worlds of magic with SANDMAN PRESENTS: PETREFAX. This 4-issue VERTIGO miniseries showcases Petrefax, the young undertaker from the WORLDS' END storyline, as he strikes out from the Necropolis in search of journeyman work ? only to find he's got a full-time job just staying alive! Written by Mike Carey (SANDMAN PRESENTS: LUCIFER) with stunning, intricate art by Steve Leialoha (NEVADA) and beautiful covers by Pascal Alixe (THE BATMAN CHRONICLES, GEN13), PETREFAX takes us to Malegrise, a land with the look of 18th-century England and a culture of magic all its own, where nearly every citizen is a sorcerer.
When the beautiful, stubborn Calcinia Smith tries to escape a forced marriage by using gypsy magic to feign her death, she becomes trapped in a physical limbo ? her soul intact, but her body dead and deteriorating fast. Hired to embalm her, Petrefax is now the only one who knows her secret ? and the only one who can keep her "alive" with his skills. Pulled into Calcinia's cross-country quest to escape her fate, Petrefax must contend with supernatural monsters, bigoted aristocrats, and the sorcerous wrath of her jilted groom in a rousing tale that finds humanity in magic, and humor in the trappings of death.
MATURE READERS FC, 32 PG. (1 OF 4)" Cover price $2.95.