“So, more smoke?”
A German artist who for some ungodly reason has never been hired to produce a cover before, Kaji has a habit of drawing striking characters in powerful, dynamic compositions.
Given the prevalence of striking characters in powerful, dynamic compositions, this made his selection for the cover of HC Vol. 2 something of a shoe-in. Ample sample art was available from the pages the other artists, with each of the four stories focusing on a specific character at a specific time in their lives – which made it just as obvious the the cover needed simply to show them.
Shrouded in aun uncertain, toxic haze and set against a deceptively plain and uneventful background, each of the four figures speaks without words, telling much of their story before you even open the page. Malloy’s dour dedication to doin’ what needs done, Owen’s discovery of a lucrative new line of business, an innocent, vulnerable and terrified younger version of the villain we know as Tony Caulfield – and there in the background, adjusting his tie, Tiber Ferrum. About whom we know nothing.
Gifted with a eye for light and texture that belies Kaji’s predominantly digital process and harkens back to the emphasized realities of the Dutch masters, with a little modern photographic flair thrown in to spruce up the lighting, Kaji’s produced a masterful cover that’s bound to knock your bloody socks off.
- See Kaji’s gallery: www.furaffinity.net/user/kaji
