X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023, page 63

"Your dream is dead... Take solace that you won't live to see it."

At last, I finally have a Moira page from Pepe Larraz.  I absolutely loved what Hickman did with Moira's character in House of X, then watched the Krakoa era tear her down (which was interesting narratively, though I preferred seeing her work side by side with Erik and Charles to build the dream of Krakoa, albeit on a shaky foundation).

Anyways, in this, our last Hellfire Gala, Pepe contributed six few pages of art near the end of the issue after the gala falls apart (to put it mildly).  I absolutely adore the second page with Rogue, but this is quite possibly my favorite page that he did this issue.  It's like a master class in lighting and shading- there's the dim mood lighting (and screentones) in panels 1 and 4, the overblown highlights and tiny figures in silhouette (like a bomb just went off) in panel 2, the way Moira's just a glowing shadow amidst the various shading gradients in panel 3.  It's leveling up from where Pepe was during House of X, and it's maybe fitting that this is the last moment between Charles and Moira before the Krakoan dream dies.  This was sadly done digitally, but the art is breathtaking nevertheless.

Thanks, Icíar (and Pepe)!