Noirhomme #3

A rain-lashed cemetery sets a wonderfully moody stage for this third volume of Maurel and Hamo's Noirhomme, subtitled Échec. The cover draws the eye between two striking figures: a tall, caped silhouette in a top hat clutching a cane and what appears to be a bound book, and in the foreground, the unsettling detail of a pale animal skull with a glowing orange eye staring up from the graves. Published by Casterman in 2010, this Franco-Belgian series continues to prove that atmospheric dread and elegant linework make for a deeply compelling combination.