Aya de Yopougon #5

The fifth volume of Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie's warmly celebrated series takes a notably tense turn, as the cover presents a heavyset soldier in camouflage uniform striding forward with commanding authority, saluting stiffly while a frightened civilian woman and an armed comrade follow close behind along a lush, palm-lined path. Oubrerie's art brings the verdant Ivorian landscape to vivid life, the dappled greens of the foliage echoing the soldiers' fatigues in a way that feels both beautiful and unsettling. It's a striking image that hints at new complications for the neighborhood of Yopougon and keeps you eager to turn the page.