La Rose écarlate #7

Patricia Lyfoung's La Rose écarlate reaches its seventh volume with a cover that's genuinely striking — a determined young woman in an ornate violet-and-white period gown grips a sword amid a swirl of falling rose petals, her expression caught somewhere between resolve and unease. The lush, painterly colors by Philippe Ogaki give the scene a romantic yet tense atmosphere that perfectly suits the subtitle, Tu seras toujours à moi ("You Will Always Be Mine"). Published by Delcourt in 2011, this volume is a fine showcase of Lyfoung's elegant linework and her gift for blending swashbuckling drama with baroque visual flair.