Area D #8

Volume 8 of Area D arrives from Pika Édition with a striking cover that sets a brooding, atmospheric tone: a powerfully built, dark-clad figure crouches atop what appears to be a heavy metal case, his clawed hands and intense gaze radiating barely contained menace, while black birds scatter into a pale, fragmented sky above him. Writer Kyouichi Nanatsuki and artist Yang Kyung-il continue their collaboration here, and Yang's artwork — all sharp musculature, dramatic shadows, and gothic detail — is on full display. For fans following this French-language edition in 2015, this volume promises the same tense, visually compelling energy that defines the series.