Royal City #8

Jeff Lemire's Royal City continues its quiet, emotionally rich storytelling with this eighth issue from Image. The cover — fully rendered by Lemire himself — shows a young woman sitting alone on what appears to be a rooftop or wooden deck, hugging her knees as a turbulent, watercolor sky churns behind her; a mysterious shadow looms on the wall beside her, suggesting a presence she may or may not welcome. It's a beautifully melancholy image that captures the series' signature blend of small-town loneliness and things left unspoken.