Steam Noir #2

The second chapter of Das Kupferherz arrives with a cover that draws you straight into its richly imagined steampunk world — a composed young woman in period work-wear and leather harness holds what appears to be a mechanical hand, while an imposing airship and ornate architecture loom behind her. Felix Mertikat's linework has a precise, engraved elegance that suits the story's alternate-history atmosphere perfectly, brought to vivid life by Jakob Eirich's warm, burnished colors. Published by Cross Cult in 2012, this is a handsome continuation of Verena Klinke and Mertikat's collaboration — exactly the kind of European graphic storytelling that rewards careful attention.