Orakel #4

The fourth volume of the Belgian fantasy series Orakel brings the chapter "De misvormde" (The Deformed) to life with a cover painted by Nicolas Demare that immediately draws the eye. In the foreground, a hunched, grotesque figure draped in white and gold clutches a gnarled wooden staff, his weathered face and bandaged hands speaking of hardship and otherness; behind him, barely visible through a hazy, luminous archway, graceful women bathe in an elegant interior — a striking contrast between the misshapen outsider and a world of beauty just beyond his reach. It's a quietly haunting image that sets a rich, melancholy tone for this 2016 release.