High security #3

A close-cropped, imposing bald man dominates the foreground of this Dutch-language Dupuis release, his expression coolly self-assured as a massive domed prison complex looms behind him in muted golden tones — an image that immediately sets the mood for cycle 2's opening chapter, "Nieuwe Meesters." The visual contrast between the figure's quiet menace and the institutional architecture gives this 2008 entry in the High Security series a genuinely tense atmosphere, with Gihef's linework given warm life by Dina Kathelyn's coloring. If the first cycle left you hungry for more, this first half of "New Masters" promises plenty of shadowy intrigue within those formidable walls.