I have to disagree with you on that last score, I personally thought the black and whites were badass as well. The 2 (the front/back and interior illustrations) strike the perfect balance in my mind. The exquisitely vibrant violence on the cover makes a grand impression right off the bat, but doubling down on that with the interior illustrations would’ve been a lil overkill imo. The meat of the sumptuous feast is Wolfe’s words, the illustrations shouldn’t even attempt to elevate or upstage what’s written on the page. I thought the subdued drawings of New Sun characters, stripped of their color, but still showing their sorrow, anguish, and what have you was a very nice choice on the part of the artist. Also, this is a story depicted in a world where the vibrancy of color and hue are dulled by a Dimming and Dying Sun. The glossy sheen was fine, and even exhilarating for the cover art, but for the rest… ehhh, I’m happy with what I got.