Hermanus #4

The fourth volume of Herman van Veen and Crazie Dutch Men's Hermanus arrives with the wonderfully titled "Sprakeloos" — Dutch for "speechless" — and the cover art by Jan Bart Dieperink delivers exactly the right mood. Five robed figures, rendered in crisp black-and-white linework against a striking purple background, crowd together in what looks like a clerical or judicial gathering, with the checkered, red-nosed Hermanus front and center looking genuinely agape among his more composed companions. It's an inviting snapshot of the absurdist humor this series does so well.