M-bok #2

Mads Eriksen delivers a brilliantly chaotic homage to a galaxy far, far away on this 2008 Norwegian collection cover, where a giant goggle-eyed bird looms over a scramble of familiar-looking characters — a golden protocol droid, a shaggy creature, and a wide-eyed everyman hero caught mid-adventure against a stormy space backdrop. The title "Mperiet Slår Tilbake" ("The Empire Strikes Back") leaves little doubt about the inspiration, rendered here in Eriksen's wonderfully loose, expressive cartoon style. It's a warm, witty piece of work that will immediately charm anyone who has ever loved both European comics and epic space opera.