A Certain Scientific Railgun #17

Volume 17 of Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa's *A Certain Scientific Railgun* sets a tense, dramatic tone right from the cover: a short-haired girl in a school uniform stands alone at the center of a blazing red X, while three other schoolgirls loom behind her — one smiling coolly with blue eyes, one grinning behind glasses and clutching a creepy panda plush with glowing red eyes, and one looking on with quiet unease. The composition does a lot of work, framing that lone central figure as surrounded — whether by allies, rivals, or something more unsettling is deliciously unclear. Seven Seas' 2022 release continues to show why this series keeps readers eagerly turning pages.