diff --git a/web/app/c/[slug]/page.tsx b/web/app/c/[slug]/page.tsx
index b20159a..45b3a6d 100644
--- a/web/app/c/[slug]/page.tsx
+++ b/web/app/c/[slug]/page.tsx
@@ -50,6 +50,17 @@ async function loadCase(slug: string): Promise<{ fm: Frontmatter; body: string }
   }
 }
 
+async function hasIllustration(slug: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  const fs = await import("node:fs/promises");
+  const UFO_ROOT = process.env.UFO_ROOT || "/data/ufo";
+  try {
+    await fs.stat(path.join(UFO_ROOT, "processing", "case-art", `${slug}.png`));
+    return true;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Extract the first prose paragraph from the body for the meta description
  * + OG. We pick the locale-preferred sub-section's opener.
@@ -109,6 +120,7 @@ export default async function CaseReportPage({
   const dateLabel = fm.created_at ? new Date(fm.created_at).toLocaleDateString(locale === "pt-br" ? "pt-BR" : "en-US", { day: "numeric", month: "long", year: "numeric" }) : null;
   const canonical = `${SITE_URL}/c/${slug}`;
   const lead = pickLead(body, locale).slice(0, 280);
+  const heroArt = (await hasIllustration(slug)) ? `/api/static/processing/case-art/${slug}.png` : null;
 
   return (
     <div className="min-h-screen bg-[#0a0e1a] text-[#e7ecf3]">
@@ -118,21 +130,54 @@ export default async function CaseReportPage({
       ]} />
       <AuthBar />
 
-      <article className="mx-auto max-w-3xl px-4 py-10 md:py-14">
-        <header className="mb-10 md:mb-14">
-          <div className="text-[10px] font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-[#e0c080] mb-4">
-            {locale === "en" ? "Declassified case file" : "Arquivo desclassificado"}
-            {dateLabel && <> · {dateLabel}</>}
+      {/* Full-bleed editorial hero — only when a painterly illustration
+          exists for this case. Other cases get the plain title header. */}
+      {heroArt && (
+        <div className="relative w-full overflow-hidden border-b border-[rgba(224,192,128,0.15)]">
+          <div className="relative aspect-[16/9] md:aspect-[21/9] max-h-[640px]">
+            {/* eslint-disable-next-line @next/next/no-img-element */}
+            <img
+              src={heroArt}
+              alt={title}
+              className="absolute inset-0 w-full h-full object-cover"
+            />
+            <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-t from-[#0a0e1a] via-[#0a0e1a]/30 to-transparent" />
+            <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-r from-[#0a0e1a]/70 via-transparent to-transparent" />
+            <div className="absolute bottom-0 left-0 right-0 px-4 md:px-8 pb-8 md:pb-12">
+              <div className="mx-auto max-w-3xl">
+                <div className="text-[10px] font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-[#e0c080] mb-3">
+                  {locale === "en" ? "Declassified case file" : "Arquivo desclassificado"}
+                  {dateLabel && <> · {dateLabel}</>}
+                </div>
+                <h1 className="font-display text-4xl md:text-6xl font-semibold leading-[1.05] tracking-tight text-white drop-shadow-lg">
+                  {title}
+                </h1>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+            <div className="absolute top-3 right-3 text-[9px] font-mono uppercase tracking-wider text-[#9aa6b8]/80 bg-[#0a0e1a]/70 px-2 py-1 rounded">
+              {locale === "en" ? "Editorial illustration" : "Ilustração editorial"}
+            </div>
           </div>
-          <h1 className="font-display text-4xl md:text-6xl font-semibold leading-[1.05] tracking-tight text-[#e7ecf3] mb-6">
-            {title}
-          </h1>
-          {lead && (
-            <p className="text-lg md:text-xl text-[#cbd2dd] leading-relaxed font-light max-w-2xl">
-              {lead}
-            </p>
-          )}
-        </header>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      <article className="mx-auto max-w-3xl px-4 py-10 md:py-14">
+        {!heroArt && (
+          <header className="mb-10 md:mb-14">
+            <div className="text-[10px] font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-[#e0c080] mb-4">
+              {locale === "en" ? "Declassified case file" : "Arquivo desclassificado"}
+              {dateLabel && <> · {dateLabel}</>}
+            </div>
+            <h1 className="font-display text-4xl md:text-6xl font-semibold leading-[1.05] tracking-tight text-[#e7ecf3] mb-6">
+              {title}
+            </h1>
+          </header>
+        )}
+        {lead && (
+          <p className={`text-lg md:text-xl text-[#cbd2dd] leading-relaxed font-light max-w-2xl ${heroArt ? "mb-10" : "mb-10 md:mb-14"}`}>
+            {lead}
+          </p>
+        )}
 
         <div className="prose prose-invert prose-lg max-w-none
                         prose-headings:font-display prose-headings:font-semibold
diff --git a/web/app/sitemap.ts b/web/app/sitemap.ts
index 9ea2bfb..7f97b86 100644
--- a/web/app/sitemap.ts
+++ b/web/app/sitemap.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ import { pgQuery } from "@/lib/retrieval/db";
 import { readdir } from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 
+// Without these, Next.js statically generates the sitemap at build time
+// when the DB is unreachable from the build container — which is why we
+// were getting only 9 static URLs in production.
+export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";
+export const revalidate = 3600;
+
 const SITE_URL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL ?? "https://disclosure.top";
 const CASE_ROOT = process.env.CASE_ROOT ?? "/data/ufo/case";
 
diff --git a/web/components/featured-case.tsx b/web/components/featured-case.tsx
index 808781e..7462602 100644
--- a/web/components/featured-case.tsx
+++ b/web/components/featured-case.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ interface FeaturedCaseData {
   opening: string;
   hero_doc_id: string | null;
   hero_page: number | null;
+  /** When present, points at /api/static/processing/case-art/<slug>.png —
+   *  a painterly editorial illustration generated for this case. Prefer
+   *  this over the doc-page thumbnail. */
+  hero_illustration: string | null;
 }
 
 const CASE_ROOT = process.env.CASE_ROOT || "/data/ufo/case";
@@ -51,6 +55,19 @@ function extractFirstDocRef(body: string): { doc_id: string; page: number } | nu
   return { doc_id: m[1], page: parseInt(m[2], 10) };
 }
 
+const UFO_ROOT = process.env.UFO_ROOT || "/data/ufo";
+
+async function illustrationFor(slug: string): Promise<string | null> {
+  const fs = await import("node:fs/promises");
+  const p = path.join(UFO_ROOT, "processing", "case-art", `${slug}.png`);
+  try {
+    await fs.stat(p);
+    return `/api/static/processing/case-art/${slug}.png`;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
 async function loadFeatured(locale: "pt-br" | "en"): Promise<FeaturedCaseData | null> {
   const dir = path.join(CASE_ROOT, "reports");
   try {
@@ -63,13 +80,15 @@ async function loadFeatured(locale: "pt-br" | "en"): Promise<FeaturedCaseData |
       const st = await stat(full);
       const { fm, body } = parseFrontmatter(md);
       const docRef = extractFirstDocRef(body);
+      const slug = f.replace(/\.md$/, "");
       items.push({
-        slug: f.replace(/\.md$/, ""),
+        slug,
         topic: fm.topic ?? f,
         topic_pt_br: fm.topic_pt_br ?? null,
         opening: pickOpening(body, locale),
         hero_doc_id: docRef?.doc_id ?? null,
         hero_page: docRef?.page ?? null,
+        hero_illustration: await illustrationFor(slug),
         mtimeMs: st.mtimeMs,
       });
     }
@@ -84,9 +103,13 @@ export async function FeaturedCase({ locale }: { locale: "pt-br" | "en" }) {
   const c = await loadFeatured(locale);
   if (!c) return null;
   const title = locale === "pt-br" ? (c.topic_pt_br ?? c.topic) : c.topic;
-  const heroImg = c.hero_doc_id && c.hero_page
-    ? `/api/static/processing/png/${c.hero_doc_id}/p-${String(c.hero_page).padStart(3, "0")}.png`
-    : null;
+  // Prefer the painterly illustration; fall back to a declassified-page
+  // thumbnail when we haven't generated art for this case yet.
+  const heroImg = c.hero_illustration
+    ?? (c.hero_doc_id && c.hero_page
+      ? `/api/static/processing/png/${c.hero_doc_id}/p-${String(c.hero_page).padStart(3, "0")}.png`
+      : null);
+  const heroIsArt = c.hero_illustration !== null;
 
   return (
     <section className="mx-auto max-w-7xl px-4 md:px-8 py-12 md:py-16">
@@ -116,19 +139,23 @@ export async function FeaturedCase({ locale }: { locale: "pt-br" | "en" }) {
         </div>
 
         {/* Hero image column */}
-        <div className="relative rounded-2xl overflow-hidden border border-[rgba(224,192,128,0.20)] bg-[#0d1220] aspect-[3/4] md:aspect-auto min-h-[280px] md:min-h-[420px]">
+        <div className="relative rounded-2xl overflow-hidden border border-[rgba(224,192,128,0.20)] bg-[#0d1220] aspect-[16/10] md:aspect-auto min-h-[280px] md:min-h-[420px]">
           {heroImg ? (
             // eslint-disable-next-line @next/next/no-img-element
             <img
               src={heroImg}
               alt={title}
-              className="absolute inset-0 w-full h-full object-cover object-top opacity-90 group-hover:opacity-100 group-hover:scale-[1.02] transition-all duration-700"
+              className={`absolute inset-0 w-full h-full object-cover ${heroIsArt ? "object-center" : "object-top"} opacity-95 group-hover:opacity-100 group-hover:scale-[1.02] transition-all duration-700`}
             />
           ) : (
             <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-br from-[#1a1f30] to-[#0a0e1a]" />
           )}
-          <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-t from-[#0a0e1a] via-transparent to-transparent" />
-          {c.hero_doc_id && (
+          <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-t from-[#0a0e1a]/60 via-transparent to-transparent" />
+          {heroIsArt ? (
+            <div className="absolute bottom-3 left-3 right-3 text-[10px] font-mono text-[#9aa6b8] uppercase tracking-wider">
+              {locale === "en" ? "Editorial illustration" : "Ilustração editorial"}
+            </div>
+          ) : c.hero_doc_id && (
             <div className="absolute bottom-3 left-3 right-3 text-[10px] font-mono text-[#9aa6b8] uppercase tracking-wider">
               {locale === "en" ? "Source · " : "Fonte · "}{c.hero_doc_id} / p{String(c.hero_page).padStart(3, "0")}
             </div>