De Vierde Kracht #1

Juan Giménez's striking cover for this 2010 Dutch-language album sets an immediate mood: a young woman with a blue star painted on her cheek is shown in close profile, half-enveloped by the dark, biomechanical curves of an enormous helmet or machine that looms behind her. The contrast between her delicate features and the cold, alien machinery surrounding her perfectly captures the tension embedded in the title "Paramentaal." Written by Pieter van Oudheusden and Giménez — with every line of art, ink, and color handled by Giménez himself — this first volume of De Vierde Kracht promises a deeply personal blend of science fiction and human drama.