A Certain Magical Index #17

Volume 17 of Chuya Kogino's manga adaptation — based on Kazuma Kamachi's original story with character designs by Kiyotaka Haimura — brings two brown-haired schoolgirls in matching uniforms front and center, one sporting welding goggles and balancing a plate of food while the other looks on with wide-eyed surprise. Tiny green creatures and cheerful yellow blobs drift across the bright white background, giving the cover a lively, slightly chaotic energy that's very much in the spirit of Academy City's everyday strangeness. A fun entry point back into one of manga's most beloved blends of science and sorcery.