Franka #22

Henk Kuijpers pulls readers into the depths with this striking 2012 cover for Onderwereld ("Underworld"), the 22nd album in the beloved Dutch Franka series. The image says it all: Franka — red-haired and alarmed — dangles from a chain into a dark, smoke-shrouded void, while above her a portal opens onto a snowy rooftop scene where a silver-haired figure in a dark coat holds the other end, with additional figures watching from the edges. It's a beautifully composed image of tension and contrast, the bright wintry world above set against the swirling blackness below, promising high-stakes adventure in Kuijpers' signature clean ligne claire style.