Children of the Whales #12

Abi Umeda's watercolor artistry is on full display in this twelfth volume of *Children of the Whales*, where a bespectacled young figure with striking red eyes leans intently over a sprawling arrangement of interlocking mechanical gears. The rich, painterly palette — deep blues, weathered coppers, and splashes of vivid red — gives the image a dreamlike weight that perfectly suits this series' blend of fantasy and melancholy. If you've been following this haunting, beautifully rendered saga, volume 12 is every bit as visually arresting as the volumes that came before it.