Les arcanes de la lune noire #2

Part of Dargaud's dark fantasy series Les Arcanes de la Lune Noire, this 2007 second volume — "Pile ou face" — announces itself with a striking cover by Fabrice Angleraud: a sharp-featured, wickedly grinning figure with pointed ears and wild dark hair grips an enormous ornate sword, its jeweled hilt blazing against a fiery golden background. The character radiates dangerous charisma, that unsettling smirk suggesting someone who thoroughly enjoys playing both sides of any coin. With writing from François Froideval and Angleraud's detailed linework throughout, this is a handsome entry in a series that clearly relishes its morally ambiguous heroes.