I just received my copy of The Villain's White Halo Vol. 2 in the mail today and I was struck by the cover! If I must witness it then I refuse to be alone in my awe.
The first cover of volume one was very pretty as well and once I saw the full, flat illustration I was fairly in awe, but it didn't strike me as hard with only half the illustration on the front cover like this one does. The tan/yellow theme make it feel almost like a contemplative desolation, I think. The imagery combined with that color and the textures makes me think meditative, but in a solemn sort of way. From there, the soft, sky blue on Yin Biyue's robes really draws the eye to state the center of the composition and at the same time gives him a type of life and vitality that would have been lacking if it were any less dull or a different color. It makes him feel softer and more alive in contrast to the almost contemplative desolation that the rest of the piece gives.
The illustrator Yang Huoxiang (杨藿香) really outdid (her/him?) themselves on this one.
Another poor photo, but here's the interior, which has full illustration of the book cover. You can find the full, flat cover illustration on Yang Huoxiang's twitter/X account here.
HOWEVER. There is another illustration after these. A concerning one.
Is that the original Yin Biyue or is it another version of our transmigrating villain? Perhaps a version of him assigned to a different role after he changed the plot? It could be outstanding acting skills but we have been proven from YB's memories that he usually played a mediocre villain in multiple worlds so I'm not sure how much validity we should grant any commentary on his performance. Granted, YB's resting bitch-face was mentioned multiple times throughout volume one, but usually within the context of him trying to build a villain persona that was then almost immediately countered by either his halo or himself. I also have to mention that the crowns they're both wearing imply a greater status than I think either of them carries at the moment so it definitely implies that this is in the future.
That begs the question, if this is OG!YB, why does Luo Mingchuan look so resigned to the stabbing? It feels almost accepting, with the way he grips the sword. His outfit also give credence to the idea of a demonic cultivator. I am very much seeing Taxian-Jun in the outfit and it really makes me lean into the roles reversed theory. Granted, the narrative is very much leaning into the roles reversed anyways so that may just be a given. I think my question becomes just how much they're being reversed? Where does it even out? Is this some horrible nightmare?
I will return once I've actually read the novel! It's been a while since I've structured my thoughts in written format like this, as well as done any kind of art analysis (as poor as it was) so I may do more of this.
