La Conjuration d'Opale #3

The third volume of La Conjuration d'Opale arrives with a cover that immediately commands attention: a great cauldron, its metal face twisted in a silent scream, erupts with swirling flames and smoke from which a ghostly skull-like visage emerges. Corbeyran, Hamm, and Grun deliver a mood that is equal parts sorcery and dread, rendered in deep amber and gold tones that give the whole image an almost alchemical warmth. If the subtitle Les Gemmes promises precious things, this 2007 Dargaud release suggests they come at a decidedly unsettling price.