Orcs & Gobelins #7

The seventh volume in Soleil's dark fantasy series puts the spotlight on a single orc warrior named Braagam, and Stéphane Créty's cover makes an immediate impression: a massively armored green-skinned figure sits enthroned atop a heap of defeated enemies, a blood-streaked battle-axe resting in his grip, with a foreboding castle rising through the clouds behind him. The mood is brooding and grand, with Élodie Jacquemoire's coloring lending the scene a stormy, atmospheric weight that feels earned rather than showy. If this 2019 entry is any indication, Orcs & Gobelins continues to treat its creatures as fully realized protagonists deserving their own brutal, compelling sagas.