Welcome to Issue 2 of The Spires!

Do I need to say anything about this cover? Wonderful character study by Fabrizio Pacitti, peerlessly coloured by Bill Key and with a brooding sky to die for!

And that sky is the key to this issue. I said at the beginning that, when I decided to write a fantasy story, I wanted to create the whole world in which the characters lived. I didn't want to fall back on the dark forests and magical glens that we see in Tolkien and the Brothers Grimm any more than I wanted to use their elves, goblins or orcs.

Well, in this issue, we start to see a little more of that world. Issue 1 introduced us to the Interior, the home of Jeste and the seat of the ruling body of Governors. In Issue 2, we venture outside. Out onto the roofs of the Spires. Out under the sky.

I hope you're going to enjoy it out there. If nothing else, I know you're going to enjoy the view - Fabrizio and Bill have really excelled themselves on this issue!