Rex Mundi #2

The cover of Rex Mundi #2 sets an unsettling, conspiratorial tone: a pale, mask-like face dominates the foreground, its hollow expression framed in deep shadow, while in the background a suited figure is flanked and escorted by hooded, robed figures along a grim European street. Eric J's cover linework gives the scene a brooding, noir-tinged atmosphere that feels right at home in Image's 2003 lineup, with Jeromy Cox's muted, amber palette adding a sense of creeping dread. If this second issue — subtitled "An Old Flame" — promises anything, it's that the mystery at the heart of Rex Mundi runs through shadowy organizations and hidden faces.