Empire USA #5

The fifth chapter of Debberg and Koller's brooding Franco-Belgian thriller arrives with a cover that sets an unmistakably dark tone: a lone male figure carries an unconscious — or worse — woman in his arms, their silhouettes burning red against a shadowy urban skyline. The contrast between the looming skyscrapers and the tangled, overgrown foreground gives the whole scene an unsettling edge that pulls you straight in. With five of six volumes now in, this 2008 Dargaud series is clearly building toward something intense.