Horacio van Alba #2

A striking figure dominates this 2014 Dutch-language album: a dark-haired man wearing a cracked white-and-red mask, his single visible eye gleaming with intensity above a dark beard, two flintlock pistols crossed at his chest over ornate armor. The title "De soldatenkoning" — The Soldier King — promises intrigue and violence in equal measure, and Nicolas Siner's detailed, atmospheric painted cover more than lives up to that promise. If swashbuckling historical adventure with a theatrical edge is your thing, Horacio van Alba #2 belongs on your shelf.