Rani #6

Published by Le Lombard in 2017, this sixth volume of Rani carries the ominous subtitle "Condamnée" — Condemned — and the cover makes the weight of that word felt immediately. Francis Vallès stages four figures on a weathered wooden platform against a brooding twilight sky: a colonial officer in a tricorn hat, the dark-haired Rani herself in traditional dress, a robed clergyman clutching a crucifix, and a masked, bare-chested executioner gripping an axe — chains visible at their feet. With Jean Van Hamme and Alcante continuing to shape the series' sharp storytelling, this is a chapter that promises real stakes for its heroine.