Hammerdam #2

Enrique Fernández's distinctive visual imagination is on full display in this second volume from Ankama, where a grumpy, pink-robed wizard in a tall pointed hat sits tea-cup in hand amid a crowd of bewildered little marshmallow-like creatures, while a serpentine yellow dragon, a mechanical insect, and a massive toothed beast loom from the swirling, gem-crystal-scattered background. The cover alone makes a compelling case for Fernández's ability to pack an entire strange world — starbursts, ammonite gears, blue stars, and all — into a single breathtaking image. If the first volume left you curious about Hammerdam's peculiar inhabitants and their wonderfully odd universe, this 2022 edition promises more of the same inventive, warmly surreal storytelling.