Alix Senator #4

The fourth volume of Alix Senator plunges into Spartan territory with "Les Démons de Sparte," and Thierry Démarez's cover sets the stage magnificently: a white-clad rider on a rearing black horse commands the center of a dust-choked battlefield, flanked by two towering, helmeted warriors whose blades and spears loom over the chaos below. The warm ochre haze and the crush of struggling figures in the background give the whole composition a grand, cinematic sweep that feels fitting for a story rooted in the ancient world. With Valérie Mangin's writing and Démarez's artwork, this 2015 Casterman release looks like a compelling chapter in the series' exploration of Rome and its Mediterranean rivals.