Vasco #24

A brooding crimson sky bleeds through bare, skeletal trees behind a church tower, while the foreground is dominated by an elaborate stone calvary crowded with weathered religious figures — saints, soldiers, and a crucified Christ — rendered in haunting detail by cover artist Frédéric Toublanc. The title Le Village Maudit ("The Cursed Village") promises something deeply atmospheric, and the imagery delivers: this is gothic medieval storytelling at its most evocative. The twenty-fourth volume in Gilles Chaillet and Toublanc's long-running Vasco series, published by Le Lombard in 2012, is sure to satisfy fans who love their historical adventure wrapped in shadow and dread.