The winter holiday season might be in full swing, but there’s definitely something missing over here at Europe Comics HQ. Snow!! People need snow!! We therefore invite you to read our most “snowy” titles, to get yourself into proper winter mood! Simply click on the covers below and enjoy! 

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not sneeze. Why? Because Santa Claus comes to Joylandia every day! And here, Christmas decorations, trees, and wreaths are mandatory, as is having a clean bill of health. It’s a celebration, after all! A party! And everyone has to be happy and healthy… whether they want to or not. Otherwise they’ll have the merciless Jolly Fellow brigade to deal with. Prepare for a Christmas tale of nightmare proportions.

After a difficult year marked by a loss in the family and some unexpected financial setbacks, the Faldéraults could use a break. But with Julie cramming for exams and Louis hell-bent on seeing Pink Floyd in concert, a family Christmas trip seems impossible. With the help of some friends, new and old alike, will Pierre and Madeleine manage to pull off one final, classic Faldérault vacation before 1979 comes to a close?

Oldsmill, the town’s head honcho, is a white tiger. Karup, the chief of police, is a white bear. Huk, Karup’s henchman, a white fox. Along with the other animals of immaculate pelt, they form the WASP association (W for White, AS for Anglo-Saxon, P for Protestant). All other town residents, from the black magpie to the reddish-brown fox to the tabby cat, are nothing but trash. And if the police aren’t able to enforce white law, the wide-reaching arms of the ruthless Arctic Nation party, hooded and decked out in white robes, will soon put things in order. And they’ve got all the ropes and burning crosses they need. In this unwelcoming environment, Blacksad, a private detective, is investigating the disappearance of a child of color, Kyle. Dinah, Kyle’s mother, had a job as Karup’s housemaid, and some say she was getting pretty friendly with Oldsmill’s son. It doesn’t take Blacksad long to get his claws right into the vipers’ nest, and he’s as quick to lash out as any of them…

Lucilla is a reluctant duchess. When her parents go away—her father off preparing for war, her mother on a social call—she doesn’t want to stay locked inside the castle she calls home. So, donning a boy’s outfit, she sneaks off with her tutor, Brother Cosimo, across the Tuscan countryside, and they soon run into her orphan friends, Tosca and her brother Rinaldo. Both fun and danger await on the road to a monastery, where secrets from the past creep into the light as the darkness of war looms in Tuscany.

It’s been a long, cold winter, and the Vikings are suffering major food shortages. Many of the men have left on a long voyage. In their absence, Björn, son of the village chief, Gandalf-the-mad, has been left in charge. Which is not good news for Thorgal, a young skald of mysterious origins, marginalized by the Viking tribe. Lucky for him, he has the beautiful Aaricia to look out for him. When Thorgal’s singing attracts three whales into the bay, the villagers hope they might finally be able to feed themselves. But something tells Thorgal that these are no ordinary whales…

It’s 1537. Deep in the lost mountains of Jura, a group of fanatical Catholic mountain people track a young Protestant and his guide. Big mistake. The latter is no other than the ex master-at-arms of Francois I, Hans Stalhoffer. After being defeated in an unfair fight, Hans had decided to exile himself from the court. Some years later, the surgeon that saved his life and his young apprentice ask for his help. They wish to travel undercover to Switzerland to publish the Bible in French. The only possible route is to take the infamous Jura Pass. Hans, who is buried in debt and has become a hardened alcoholic, is willing to sacrifice a few days to guide the two men through the hostile mountains. But when the authorities get wind of the scheme, they launch a wide-scale manhunt. Tracked, injured and cold, Hans will have to surpass himself to win the most difficult fight of his life.

McConey and his buddies can’t wait to hit the mountain for winter vacation. Skiing, relaxing, dance parties, and card games… Just what the doctor ordered to get away from it all. Except nothing goes as planned, starting with the mysterious wolf on the prowl that’s gobbling up skiers and closing down resorts! A brilliant and off-beat tale to hold you over until your next run down the slopes.

Lorenzo works for proTECTO, an agency of not-exactly-guardian-angels whose jobs are to protect the lives of mortals who have important roles to play in the future. Lorenzo’s charge, a carefree teenage girl named Kim, is one of the most important clients, classified as “major elite.” Unfortunately, Lorenzo gets distracted and his charge is run over by the heartless and not-entirely-stable Madame, a sort of grim reaper cruising around in a black Citroën. Lorenzo decides to go against the rules of proTECTO and fate itself to save Kim with the help of his fellow protector, Aegis, and Kim’s heartbroken older sister, Alicia.

In the late 1920s, Melvin Z. Woodworth is an author with writer’s block and a mystery to solve. He takes a vacation to the Swiss Alps to try and kill two birds with one stone—and do some excellent hiking and skiing while he’s at it. But the little village, so long slumbering on the wrong side of the Industrial Revolution, is threatened by a force of nature—and, of course, contains secrets of its own. Cosey’s masterful graphic novel is presented here in full-color English translation for the first time: an ode to nature, culture, mythology, and a simpler—yet riskier—time.

Pico Bogue and his little sister Anna revel in the delights of winter, from Halloween to snowball fights, and, of course, that special Christmas magic.

1907: In a small town in the Pyrenees, a young soldier regularly climbs one of the tallest peaks to deliver supplies to an observatory. There, he makes a friend whose great passion for the Tour de France pushes ambitious Amédée to take up cycling and dream of winning the Tour himself. But the road to the Tour de France is more challenging and dangerous than he thought, and a terrible accident leaves him handicapped. Still, Amédée remains undaunted and trains even harder, which sets him on the road to cycling stardom… until war breaks out and interrupts his plans yet again. An inspiring tale of courage and human achievement, set against the fascinating backdrop of one of the world’s most grueling tests of endurance.

In 8th-century Europe, a clash of cultures and religions inevitably leads to a clash of swords. This harsh, changing world suits Björn the Beautiful, who has a single passion: violence. His bloodlust led to his exile from his native land, and it’s his bloodlust that brings him back. For Harald, it’s the season of Jul and he’s about to marry the gorgeous Lina. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Björn and his troops. With his people either slaughtered or enslaved, Harald begins a forced march with the other survivors. He wants revenge, but he must be patient like the serpent: know when to sleep, and know when to strike.

Taho-the-Quick, a poacher, has an encounter with the animal totem of his people, the dragon queen, who entrusts him with the dangerous mission of carrying her egg to her dragon brothers up in the mountains. On his journey, Taho-the-Quick will not only have to fight enemies but also join forces with unexpected allies, including the mysterious White Claw, a warrior with unparalleled skills. The survival of the dragon species and that of a whole people will depend on their partnership.

In the year 2071, Earth is a frozen wasteland. The world’s fertile soil has been completely covered by frost and the most valuable and scarce resource now is natural food. When a group of geological researchers rediscovers a long-lost space shuttle carrying seed pods, there is hope for a new beginning. But the group meets its demise, except for one. The quest to recover the ship’s cargo turns into a free-for-all in the coldest and most barren region of the Earth, and in the middle of it all is “The Man with the Bear,” a post-apocalyptic mercenary with a polar bear companion.

Lin and Rose have gone their separate ways, so Jonas Crow is left alone with his hearse and Jed, his pet vulture. Winter has set in and there’s plenty of work to do—plenty of bodies to bury. When a childhood friend, Sid, looks him up and offers him a dangerous job, Jonas eventually agrees to it. Time, however, changes all things, loyalties included. Sid may not be trustworthy, but he was right about one thing—Jonas is the only undertaker in the Old West crazy enough to go after a corpse in Apache territory.

Leningrad, 1962. Kalinka “Anka” Alexandrovna, leader of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, marches into the police station, where a vagabond is being questioned. The man was arrested after forcing his way into the opera house with a gun. He reminds Anka of the dark days of early 1942, when the Nazi army had surrounded the city and set fire to its food supplies. Its intentions were as simple as they were evil: to starve every one of its three million inhabitants. The man goes on to tell the story of four teenagers who struggled to survive that cruel winter: three boys from different rungs of the social ladder, and Anka, with whom each one of them was madly in love… The second and final volume of the series unravels a poignant story of survival, friendship, love, and betrayal set against the backdrop of a pitiless war.

Header image: Blacksad © Juanjo Guarnido & Juan Diaz Canales / Dargaud

You can go anywhere in a book, so go far and beyond through these titles listed below, all of which are clamoring to give you a artistic dose of nature. From humbling snowy mountains and rolling hills to breathtaking seasides and river banks, from golden sand dunes and vast deserts to thick woods, and from mundane and melancholic plains to exotic forests, from the poles to the equator, here is a list of beautiful comics and graphic novels that celebrate the glory of nature!

Days of Sand

United States, 1937. In the middle of the Great Depression, 22-year-old photographer John Clark is brought on by the nascent Farm Security Administration to document the calamitous conditions of the Dust Bowl in the central and southern states, in order to bring the farmers’ plight to the public eye. When he starts working through his shooting script, however, he finds his subjects to be unreceptive. What good are a couple of photos against relentless and deadly dust storms? The more he shoots, the more John discovers the awful extent of their struggles, coming to question his own role and responsibilities in this tragedy sweeping through the center of the country. A moving and unforgettable tale, inspired by real-life stories of courage and perseverance against all odds.

White All Around

Canterbury, Connecticut, 1832: a charming female boarding school has found success among the locals, with two dozen girls enrolled. Some in town question the purpose of educating young girls—but surely there’s no harm in trying? At least not until the Prudence Crandall School announces its plans to start accepting black students. Thirty years before the abolition of slavery in the United States, in the so-called “free” North, these students will be met by a wave of hostility that puts the future of the school in question, and their very lives in peril. Even in the land of the free, not all of America’s children are welcome.

The Whale Library

The Young Woman and the Sea

Catherine Meurisse once again draws upon her memories. Her stay in a far-off, strange-yet-familiar land, at the Japanese villa Kujoyama in 2018, provides the artist with another opportunity to pursue her creative quest, this time where the West and Far East meet. In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the young artist lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes. Imagination and dialogue are key to penetrating the secrets of this strange territory and discovering why the young explorer finds it so fascinating. This Alice daydreams and wonders, returning every now and then to reality and nature, that dynamic dictator of events and situations. After The Great Outdoors, Catherine Meurisse continues her pursuit of beauty in an unknown land, between mountain and sea, illustrating landscapes that reflect the seasons and the artist’s progress. Truly splendid!

The Great Outdoors

“Girls, living in the country will be your chance,” her parents tell her. And so Catherine Meurisse spends her childhood outdoors. Construction all around her: an old farmhouse renovated into a home, trees planted, a garden created, dreams cultivated. They dig, they graft, they plant a rosebush “adopted” from Montaigne, a fig tree from Rabelais. They observe the tumult of the outside world: new developments in industrial agriculture, the citification of rural France… With her characteristic humor, Catherine Meurisse has composed a witty poem dedicated to the countryside where her vocation as an artist first took form. The Great Outdoors, like Lightness, her previous album, is a testament to her conviction that nature and art —everything that grows, everything that lives against all opposition— always offer us a chance.

Worlds Unseen

1906. William is ten years old when his family leaves London for Barellito, a small Italian fishing village. The quiet of the village will not last long, however, thanks to the ripples created by the arrival of William and his family. His own life, too, is about to be upturned, in this remarkable and wondrous new land where he will find new southern landscapes, a new kind of liberty, and above all new friends: Paolo, Nino, and the charming Lisa, united forever by an extraordinary event and a strange object…

The Golden Age

An exiled princess, a knight and his young companion travel across a kingdom in turmoil to rally support so the princess can reclaim her throne. On a journey fraught with danger, they briefly find sanctuary in an isolated community of woman warriors before departing for the city of Ohman. Not only is a mysterious treasure said to be hidden there, but a peasant uprising, inspired by a mythical text about equality, is in full, bloody swing. In the first volume of this sweeping graphic novel, each person’s convictions will be put to the test.

Ivory Pearl

“Ivory Pearl” is the final work by the French master of noir fiction, Jean-Patrick Manchette. But this wide-reaching geopolitical thriller, blending action and adventure, was only known to readers in its unfinished form, as written by Manchette before his passing in 1995. Now, using his father’s notes, Doug Headline has finally put together the full tale, alongside artist Max Cabanes. Together, they have brought Ivory Pearl to vivid life in a graphic novel not to be missed.

The Eagle With No Claws

1907: In a small town in the Pyrenees, a young soldier regularly climbs one of the tallest peaks to deliver supplies to an observatory. There, he makes a friend whose great passion for the Tour de France pushes ambitious Amédée to take up cycling and dream of winning the Tour himself. But the road to the Tour de France is more challenging and dangerous than he thought, and a terrible accident leaves him handicapped. Still, Amédée remains undaunted and trains even harder, which sets him on the road to cycling stardom… until war breaks out and interrupts his plans yet again. An inspiring tale of courage and human achievement, set against the fascinating backdrop of one of the world’s most grueling tests of endurance.

African Trilogy

No one thought he’d ever dare to return. In this African country where the dictatorship has banned all forms of cultural expression, the storyteller named Once-Upon-A-Time has already had a brush with death. For refusing to stop performing his puppet shows, he lost both his hands, severed at the wrist with the slash of a machete. Now he’s back, ready to begin performing again, and ready to take on the powers that be…

Zaroff

1937: An island somewhere in the middle of the ocean, which Count Zaroff has chosen as his new hunting ground. He’s tired of hunting the usual game — animals are far too easy to kill. He has set himself the supreme challenge: a prey that is both dangerous and unpredictable, in fact the only prey worth hunting — people. But when the Count brings down a Mafia boss, the “family” lands on the island looking for revenge. Suddenly, the roles are reversed and the Count finds himself being hunted. To make matters worse, the Mafiosi have kidnapped the Count’s sister and her children and brought them to the island. If Zaroff doesn’t find them soon, they’ll all be killed. And he’ll be next.

The Other Side of the Border

Arizona, 1948. Novelist François Combe has taken up residence with his wife, his son, and his mistress in the strange no man’s land of the Santa Cruz Valley. His imagination is sparked by the surrounding desert, its ghost towns, and other vestiges of the pioneer past. The present, too, draws him in, especially in the border town of Nogales, where luxury and lust come together against a backdrop of misery and servitude… and where games of the flesh are paid for in blood. Sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the border.

The Lion of Judah

1920s Nairobi. When two Africans are found gruesomely murdered, all signs point to John Wallace, a promising young plantation owner with a bright future ahead of him and a beautiful bride-to-be. What drove him to kill these men? His silence and a corrupt system lead to internment, without a trial, in a vicious Kenyan prison camp. But sadistic guards, conspiring cellmates, and harsh desert labor are no match for the suffering that Wallace feels inside over the life he lost, and how best to get it back. He’s willing to do anything for revenge—even loose the mysterious beast lurking within…

Extinctions: Twilight of the Species

Two journalists travel to an island in the Arctic Circle where scientists are searching for fossils of extinct animals. Like all journalists, they have a lot of questions: how is it possible for an entire species to completely disappear? Word has it that we’re in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, but what exactly does that mean? How did the first five happen? What is the scientific definition of an extinction? Alexandre Franc adeptly illustrates the narrative by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu, a specialist in natural sciences and doctor of biological oceanology. Panafieu, who has already authored a number of popular science books, gives a clear explanation of what mass extinctions are, cleverly comparing past extinctions with the one we are witnessing now. The two authors present us with a clear, intelligent, and lighthearted perspective on a fascinating phenomenon.

Desolation

Jean-Louis Payet is a man on the run. Reeling from a breakup, he changes his name and heads south from his home on Réunion Island. Way south: the remote Kerguelen Islands, an inhospitable archipelago whose scientific bases are civilization’s last bastion before the frozen Antarctic wastes. The mere journey, aboard a resupply vessel, will take a month. Payet spends the endless hours feeling diffident and superior, pining for his ex, hating his fellow passengers, and dreaming of a new life. But when he reaches the windswept wilderness of the former Desolation Islands, will he finally come face to face with something he can’t run away from?

The Wolf Queen

In a distant time when summer and winter alternate as quickly as night and day, giant insects have replaced most other lifeforms. Wolves have become civilized and switch their gender at every moon. Egg-laying women rule over men. And the half-wizard Tometeu tribe ride around on small caterpillars and beetles.

Amongst this throng are Petrigré, Rum, Angus, and JJJ: heroes in search of love, identity, dreams, freedom, and also a treasure hidden in the heart of the icy mountains…

Will they find it? What will be? Gold and silver? Supreme power? An unstoppable weapon of destruction? And what consequences will it have for all the tribes teetering on the brink of war?

The Coyote and the Snake

USA, 1970. Joe is driving his camper in the wide open spaces of the Wild West. He makes several acquaintances along the way: a small coyote, to start with, but also local thugs, F.B.I. agents, a U.S. Marshal, old friends who seem to be more or less trustworthy… But who is this good ol’ Joe? Those who cross his path tend to see their life expectancy dangerously decrease…

The Colony

At the turn of the 20th century, society is in tumult. Anarchist groups have turned from political terrorism to nonviolent revolution, seeking to escape the world’s injustice by returning to nature. Against this backdrop of upheaval, Fortuné Henry travels alone to a remote clearing on the edge of the vast Ardennes Forest, there to found his own colony: L’Essai. Many will join him. Some will leave. Others will stay. In colors by turns muted and vibrant, but always sensitively attuned to the setting and character, Nicolas Debon breathes life into the true story of a short-lived utopia.

Malaterre

Gabriel dreams of buying back Malaterre, an estate built by his ancestors in the heart of the jungle over a century ago. Of going there, living there, and restoring the Lesaffre family honor. Of passing it on to his children. But he knows nothing about the country or managing a timber forest. He will have to risk it all, taking his two eldest with him and separating them from their mother and younger brother. All of this, of course, is completely crazy.

In Search of Peter Pan

the late 1920s, Melvin Z. Woodworth is an author with writer’s block and a mystery to solve. He takes a vacation to the Swiss Alps to try and kill two birds with one stone—and do some excellent hiking and skiing while he’s at it. But the little village, so long slumbering on the wrong side of the Industrial Revolution, is threatened by a force of nature—and, of course, contains secrets of its own. Cosey’s masterful graphic novel is presented here in full-color English translation for the first time: an ode to nature, culture, mythology, and a simpler—yet riskier—time.

The Forest of Time

Deep in the heart of an enchanted forest, a small village of children lives unaffected by the passage of time thanks to a powerful stone that protects them from it. But when the stone is shattered and a thief runs off with one of the shards, four of the children must set out at once in search of the missing shard before their village is swallowed up by time and everybody in it dies. Armed with four crystals with special powers, the children bravely make their way through the dangerous forest to hunt down the thief, making friends and enemies along the way and encountering one strange creature after another.

Tango

He used to play a dangerous game, running cash for the mob. Now he calls himself Tango, and he lives in a little village rising like a small island out of the rocky sea of the Andes. He’s made a few friends since he arrived, with whom he’s got a lot in common: they’ve all got secrets from their past, and they’re not exactly who they say they are. One by one, their secrets are revealed in a storm of violence when old friends come knocking, demanding past debts be paid. High up in the Bolivian hills, a mountain community is once again upended by the arrival of strangers and the troubles they seem to bring with them.

Nhun the Huntress

Nine millennia ago, the Luvi Tribe in Mid-Anatolia is struggling to survive. The men of the holy council of elders are no longer pleased with their lives. The master tracker, Nhun, a young woman, takes on an existential challenge for herself and all of her tribe. The tribe’s strongest man, Alu the Agape, does not know what to do. This is their love story, where Nhun and Alu find themselves among the quarrels of the elders, both holy men and women.

Tangier in the Rain

Renée Stone

Renée Stone is a successful English mystery novelist and an independent free spirit. In this first book of the series, she finds herself in Ethiopia for the coronation of Haile Selassie I in 1930. There she meets John Malowan, a bumbling archaeologist whose grandfather unearthed the Epic of Gilgamesh. Unbeknownst to Stone and Malowan, a host of parties are conspiring to take advantage of the grandson in order to get their hands on a hidden treasure that dates back to Mesopotamian times. Renée Stone finds herself in the midst of a murder mystery full of colorful characters who could have come straight out of her novels.

Zoc

Zoc has an unusual gift: her hair attracts water, allowing her to drag huge quantities of it along behind her. But somehow her extraordinary ability only ever seems to get her into trouble. Struggling to discover her purpose in life, Zoc finds a way of using her talents to help a flooded town. On her journey, she’ll encounter wandering minstrels, hostile townsfolk, and the fiery Kael, whose equally unusual gift might just make for the perfect friendship.

Daubigny’s Garden

A graphic novel about Charles-François Daubigny, an important precursor of Impressionism.

Header image: The Lion of Judah © Stephen Desberg, Hugues Labiano / Dargaud

To all comics fans who also love sports, here is a reading list of comics series and one shot graphic novels around some of the most popular ones — football, boxing, cycling and car racing.

Louca

Adolescence is a terrible time for most people. For Louca, it’s especially bad! Generally mediocre, a poor student, awkward with girls… he’s a walking disaster. But Louca has decided: starting tomorrow, he’s going to change! Still, that’s easier said than done… especially when your own mind keeps changing! Luckily, Louca will get a helping hand from a certain fellow named Nathan. Good-looking, amazing at football, funny, smart… this Nathan certainly seems like the perfect guy, and the best coach Louca could possibly hope for. With one little exception: Nathan is a ghost… How did Nathan die? Why can only Louca see him? Will Nathan manage to turn Louca into the kind of guy people want to be with? Will Louca manage both to pass his exams, and to win over Julie, the girl of his dreams?

Rage

Anton “Witko” Witkowski didn’t pull himself by his bootstraps. He punched his way up out of the projects where he was born, to world renown as middleweight champion. He’s larger-than-life, a force of nature. He gets what he wants. He taunts his opponents. He breaks up with women by leaving them a red Corvette. It’s his way or the highway. With violent colors, dynamic linework, and unflagging narrative drive, Baru delivers a masterful meditation on pride, loyalty, and manhood in a world where the system’s stacked against some people, and all they have is their friends—and their rage.

The Eagle With No Claws

1907: In a small town in the Pyrenees, a young soldier regularly climbs one of the tallest peaks to deliver supplies to an observatory. There, he makes a friend whose great passion for the Tour de France pushes ambitious Amédée to take up cycling and dream of winning the Tour himself. But the road to the Tour de France is more challenging and dangerous than he thought, and a terrible accident leaves him handicapped. Still, Amédée remains undaunted and trains even harder, which sets him on the road to cycling stardom… until war breaks out and interrupts his plans yet again. An inspiring tale of courage and human achievement, set against the fascinating backdrop of one of the world’s most grueling tests of endurance.

Arsenal FC

Andrew, 35 years old, decides to take his new girlfriend’s 10-year-old son to see the Gunners play. For Nathan, it’s the first time in his life stepping foot inside a football stadium. He should be thrilled—but he can’t help wondering about Andrew’s motives. If there’s one thing that can break the ice and bring the two together, it’s Andrew’s passion for the Arsenal Football Club and its rich history.

Lucky Luke Saddles Up

“What… a… darn… stupid… contraption!” The 1st Columbia San Francisco Bicycle Race seems like the perfect opportunity for Albert Overman to impress the nation with his revolutionary design. But when a rival manufacturer hires two goons to intercept him, it‘s up to Lucky Luke to save the day once more. The lonesome cowboy will find himself swapping stirrups for pedals as he heads west in the saddle of Overman‘s invention. Will he make it to the starting line in time, or will the dawning of the modern age be stopped by ruthless thugs, stubborn hillbillies, and wary Apache? And what will Jolly Jumper think of his cowboy changing steeds?

FC Barcelona

Joaquim, a boy from Barcelona, and Manu, whose family is from Guinea, seem to have nothing in common, except for one thing: a passion for football. At age twelve, they both join the FC Barcelona youth team at “La Masia,” the club’s football academy. But not just anyone can make it with Barça. Together, Joaquim and Manu will face immense challenges as they try to turn their dreams into reality. An adventure of friendship at the heart of a legendary club.

A Tale of Two Arthurs

A Tale of Two Arthurs is an impressionistic chronicle of two very different men: Jack Arthur Johnson, the black American boxer, and Arthur Cravan, the white French poet and provocateur. These two men fought an improbable boxing match in Barcelona in 1916 which acts as the pivot point of this double-portrait which is also a kind of mirror: for despite their differences they were both fiercely independent individuals who in their own ways defied the mores of their time with a mixture of bravado, intelligence, and brute strength. Accompanying both men on their journeys is a celebrity chimpanzee named Consul who serves as the uniting thread — as well as the unlikely narrator — of this adventurous and ambitious comic.

Michel Vaillant

Michel Vaillant is the star of all the biggest international auto racing circuits, and he’s revving up for a whole lot more than just a spin around the block. The Vaillant team finds itself up against new technological innovations, as well as some disconcerting changes in the world of auto racing. The fate of the Vaillant dynasty is in the hands of three generations of men and women. The first challenge is to fight their way to the top on the race track, with their sights set on Formula 1. The second is to try to keep the family together, despite increasingly differing points of views. And it will be up to Michel to ensure their success on both fronts.

Michel Vaillant: Short Story Classics

In 1957, Jean Graton created the legendary race car driver Michel Vaillant, who was featured in a series of short stories published in Tintin magazine. These stories marked the beginning of a long-running adventure saga that continues to this day. This collection includes seven early stories that brought Vaillant onto the scene and made him what he is today. A fascinating look into the origins of a classic, with a vibrant retro style.

Blue Note

New York. November 1933. Seven years of Prohibition is about to come to an end—seven years of mafia control of the illegal alcohol trade, of high-level corruption … and of the speakeasy, whose clientele enjoy not only liquor, but the Golden Age of Jazz. A world Irish boxer Jack Doyle is reluctantly drawn back to, to settle old scores. But what he thinks will be a simple fight turns into a web of exploitation and double-dealing … and a tangle with the elusive Miss Lena. To get free he will have to use all his native cunning…

Ken Games

This first volume of the Ken Games series gives us a profile of Peter Fermat (aka Rock), a young man who, like each of the three main characters, is leading a double life. His story opens with a boxing match which has a nasty ending for the up-and-coming boxer, despite his victory. It’s not long before we discover that Rock is not only striving to make it in the boxing world, but is also something of a mathematical genius, which is how he met his best friend, TJ. For the first time in all their years of friendship, TJ introduces Rock to a girlfriend, the lovely Anne. Anne and Rock soon establish a bond of trust when Rock discovers that Anne too is living a double life, even though Anne’s secret is not exactly what she leads Rock to believe. This is just the beginning of the tangled web of lies and deception that gets ever more convoluted as the series goes on…

Cover banner from FC Barcelona © Eduard Torrents & Cesc / Dupuis

From captivating works of fiction to unforgettable memoirs and eye-opening non-fiction, here is a collection of comics and graphic novels every woman should read! The driving force of these inspiring books is the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self! 

Sixty Years in Winter

On the day of her sixtieth birthday, Josy refuses to blow out the candles on her cake. Her bags are packed. She’s come to a decision: she’s going to win back her freedom by taking off in her old Volkswagen minibus! Even if it means leaving behind her husband and family. In a state of shock, they all blame her for making such a selfish move. But is it really so selfish to listen to that little voice deep within? Josy soon finds support among new friends who have faced similar scorn and incomprehension from family and society… But will that be enough to stop her from leaving once more? Perhaps a newfound love can help her find her way…

Lightness

In the aftermath of the murderous attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices on January 7, 2015, cartoonist Catherine Meurisse struggles with the trauma of losing her friends and looks for a way to move forward with her life and her art. She soon enters a dissociative state where she loses her memories, especially those associated with esthetic experiences. This leads her on a quest to seek beauty and lightness in the world around her with the help of guiding lights including Proust, Stendhal, Baudelaire, and two provocative graffiti artists. Throughout the book, Meurisse uses her limber cartooning and dynamic writing to weave a tapestry of raw emotion and philosophical reflection laced with a strain of wry humor.

The Two Lives of Penelope

Penelope is a Belgian physician who works with Doctors Without Borders in war-torn Syria. She returns to Belgium when she can in order to see her husband and daughter, but the transition is hard. Her latest trip home for the holidays proves even tougher than usual, as the coexistence of the two excruciatingly different worlds she inhabits becomes increasingly fraught.

The Young Woman and the Sea

Catherine Meurisse once again draws upon her memories. Her stay in a far-off, strange-yet-familiar land, at the Japanese villa Kujoyama in 2018, provides the artist with another opportunity to pursue her creative quest, this time where the West and Far East meet. In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the young artist lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes. Imagination and dialogue are key to penetrating the secrets of this strange territory and discovering why the young explorer finds it so fascinating. This Alice daydreams and wonders, returning every now and then to reality and nature, that dynamic dictator of events and situations. After The Great Outdoors, Catherine Meurisse continues her pursuit of beauty in an unknown land, between mountain and sea, illustrating landscapes that reflect the seasons and the artist’s progress. Truly splendid!

The Great Outdoors

“Girls, living in the country will be your chance,” her parents tell her. And so Catherine Meurisse spends her childhood outdoors. Construction all around her: an old farmhouse renovated into a home, trees planted, a garden created, dreams cultivated. They dig, they graft, they plant a rosebush “adopted” from Montaigne, a fig tree from Rabelais. They observe the tumult of the outside world: new developments in industrial agriculture, the citification of rural France… With her characteristic humor, Catherine Meurisse has composed a witty poem dedicated to the countryside where her vocation as an artist first took form. The Great Outdoors, like Lightness, her previous album, is a testament to her conviction that nature and art —everything that grows, everything that lives against all opposition— always offer us a chance.

Limited Edition

Claire is a thirtysomething neonatal nurse who is becoming increasingly discouraged about her prospects of getting into a long-term relationship and starting a family. She thinks she may have finally met her man in Franck—if not a Prince Charming then at least a friendly and compatible person—but societal pressures and gender norms seem to rear their heads at every turn and Claire begins to wonder if it will ever be possible for her to be happy with another person on her own terms.

Aude Picault’s chronicle of everyday romance is full of wit and sympathy but it is also backed up by a bibliography of feminist essays and studies of gender relations, offering a valuable and complicated case study of the challenges facing modern women.

Amalia

Amalia is on the verge of burnout. Her family life—with her husband, Karim; her 4-year-old daughter, Lili; and her 17-year-old stepdaughter, Nora—is nothing but rushing around, screaming, and doors slamming. At work, they talk about agility, flexibility, and adaptation, but her workload is slipping away from her. As she drives through the countryside, she sees diseased wheat fields and polluted rivers. She can’t even listen to the radio without some new story about deadly attacks and a dying climate. Amalia struggles, tries, fails… and eventually, she cracks.

Maiden

In Florence’s childhood, there is a Thing you’re not supposed to talk about. It seems like everyone knows about it… except for her. And she can’t ask any questions—it’s forbidden to speak the word. What happens to children who grow up in prudish isolation, once they hit puberty? Can they ever overcome the shame instilled by a sexless education? In this autobiographical story, Florence Dupré la Tour unveils her childhood in heart-wrenching inks and watercolors: a story of the heavy weight of tradition that forces women to be submissive, and how to resist and escape that fate.

Forget Me Not

When Clémence, a student and actress struggling with personal issues, sees how miserable her grandmother is in her nursing home, she decides to break her out and take her on a road trip to the coast so she can see her childhood home one last time. But traveling with a senior with Alzheimer’s Disease comes with a fair amount of challenges, and the journey is fraught with highs, lows, and near misses. Still, it’s a chance for the two women to reconnect, with each other and with themselves, and it’s a chance for Clémence to give Grammy the gift of one last thrilling and joyful experience.

Nowhere Girl

This is the story of a girl growing up in the 1990s – a middle-schooler who finds herself lost in the gulf between childhood and adolescence, developing paralyzing fears of failure, school, other people, and her own changing body. Along the way, she becomes obsessed with the Beatles… which might be just what she needs to find her way back to being okay. Yeah yeah yeah!

September 11, 2001: The Day the World Changed Forever

What do younger generations know about the terrible tragedy that shook America and the world on September 11, 2001? In this gripping documentary work by journalist Baptiste Bouthier and illustrator Heloïse Chochois, we first learn about the historic day from several inside perspectives. In the second half, the authors take stock of 9/11 in the days, weeks, and years that followed, from tramautized America to George W. Bush’s crusade against the “axis of evil.” A not-be-missed piece of graphic non-fiction, published 20 years after the events in question.

A Woman’s Voice

Jean is a medical student who’s about to start her final residency rotation in gynecology. But she’d much rather practice surgery than listen to simpering women moan about their problems all day. Plus, this department is headed by the notorious Dr. Karma, renowned throughout the hospital for his stubborn mindset and unorthodox practices. However, in her first week, Jean begins to realize that Dr. Karma’s reputation isn’t fully accurate, and, perhaps, the complexities of women’s stories are worth listening to and respecting. A modern classic of a revolution in women’s medical care, adapted from the bestselling novel by Martin Winckler.

The White Lady

Estelle is a nurse at an assisted living center, where she spends her days caring for the residents, taking part in their card games, and tending to them as the end draws near. But dealing with their unfulfilled dreams and lonely final moments is no easy task. As she gets closer to the residents, Estelle experiences a new, inebriating freedom, but also risks losing herself along the way… A touching, far-reaching tale told from the rarely seen perspective of nursing home caretakers.

Forever

What is this “love” everyone talks about? Viola doesn’t yet know. But it is a question she is asking herself more and more, because at her age there are some kinds of problems you feel even in the air that you breathe: your self-image and the way you think others see you, the relationship between you and your body and the other gender, couple issues, the freedom to follow your aspirations, and the need to fit in socially accepted categories. On vacation with her parents, during the idle hours of the afternoon while everyone is sleeping, Viola’s encounters and experiences will help her grow as a person and get answers to the hard questions that everyone has to face sooner or later, and she will reshape her identity, in a summer she’ll never forget.

Diary of a Femen

The FEMEN movement began in Ukraine in 2008. It has since spread throughout the world, as far as Spain, Sweden and Belgium. In France it really began to catch on when Inna Shevchenko arrived in Paris, where she sought asylum after she was deported from Ukraine. She took refuge in the “Lavoir Moderne Parisien” theatre, which has now become the training ground of FEMEN activists in France. This project is a fictional story based on real events and witness testimonies collected by the author, who has been in personal contact with FEMEN France for over 4 years. The aim is to study this social phenomenon and open up debate on the subject without taking sides or pronouncing judgment. The journal follows the story of a young French girl who, after a number of negative experiences connected to her social status as a woman in contemporary society, decides to join the movement. It’s not easy, and there will be consequences in her personal and professional life. She soon begins to question herself. A fascinating album that helps us understand the inner workings of the controversial feminist organization.

Going Green: Giving It (Almost) My All for the Planet

From recycling and making your own deodorant to buying second-hand furniture, Maïté Robert brings us a collection of humorous and thought-provoking vignettes about the many steps people can take in their day-to-day activities to live a more planet-friendly, environmentally-aware life… and about how easy it is to postpone such admirable resolutions. Told in the first-person and drawn from the author’s personal victories and setbacks in her own efforts to go green.

Ladies of Legend

Eve, Snow White, Karaba the Sorceress, Scheherazade, the Little Mermaid, the Queen of Sheba… From the dawn of mythology to medieval fairytales and today’s pop culture, these women characters have filled our childhoods and fueled our imaginations. But do we know their real stories? These ladies of legend have almost always been presented from a male viewpoint. Their stories have been used to fuel negative stereotypes and keep women in their place: in the subordinate, rigid, and caricatured roles of evil temptress, devoted wife, femme fatale, jealous stepmother, or sweet ingenue… But what if the same legends were—finally—told by women?

Days of Sugar and Spice

Rose is not a happy young woman; she is closed off and angry and she hates her job. But her life changes drastically when she inherits her father’s bakery in a small town in Brittany. Returning to a place that brought her both joy and grief forces her to confront painful memories of her past and find the courage to open her heart to a new, happier life that awaits her if she will just let it. A story about new beginnings, filled with small town charm, delicious pastries and the warmth of home and friends.

Tales from Behind the Window

“Tales from behind the Window” is based on memories of an Anatolian grandmother and women she knew who suffered from male dominance over their lives. Writer and illustrator Edanur Kuntman seeks a unique way to express and give voice to women in her grandmother’s memories and in our reality who were not able to reconcile their inner emotional depth with their rural worlds in Northern Turkey. One long and two short stories included in this book revolve around terrifying emotional burdens such as forced marriages, being betrayed by patriarchs, and lost love, which have haunted and still haunt many in rural Anatolia.

The Diary of the (Nearly) Zero-Waste Family

In 2014, a French family of four decided to start living a “zero waste” lifestyle for a year, which made headlines and eventually led to a new career centered on their experience and approach: through downsizing, composting, recycling, eliminating, DIY, buying in bulk, resourcefulness, and rigorous self-discipline, they essentially managed to reduce their yearly household waste down to one small jar of miscellaneous items. This is their story, as told and drawn by the mother herself. Entertaining, educational, and as vitally topical as you can get!

Flora and the Shooting Stars

40-year-old Flora has just gone through a bitter divorce after 20 years of marriage. Thankfully, she can count on the support of her friends: Roxane, the cool hippie who loves to garden, Lea, the tireless career woman, and her old neighbor, Venerable. Like her friends, Flora would love to find her soul mate, but it’s just not that simple. She has several promising dates, but once the first flush of passion is over, her lovers seem to disappear into the night. Why does this keep happening? Is she not attractive enough? Is she so difficult to be around? Or is she being sabotaged by someone close to her? A story for the divorced (and perpetually single) 40-somethings who just want to take a moment to catch their breath, and maybe even enjoy their singledom, told through the eyes of Flora and her hilarious entourage.

Forte

Flavia Antunes grew up in a favela. Her father was a casualty of gang warfare; her mother, a cleaning lady, is all she has left. That is, until she meets Mr. Lima, a wealthy old man who introduces her to her future: the piano. Music will take her far from home, all the way to a prestigious Paris conservatory. Being a foreign student is hard: low-paying jobs, prejudiced landlords, competitive peers. But Paris also has its perks, like love, friendship, and undreamt-of opportunities… Can Flavia find a way to balance the demands of the heart and her demanding art?

Glory Days

Three young women lacking direction struggle with the challenges of life and relationships: Violet has dumped her boyfriend and is finding it hard to move on; Leila has betrayed her best friend and finds herself now ostracized by her social circle; and Helen struggles to find a balance between her personal life and the doctoral thesis taking up all her time and energy. A realistic slice-of-life portrayal of the growing pains of young adulthood.

Header image: Amalia © Aude Picault / Dargaud

We all love a good scary story! Blood, gore, suspense… often starring ghosts, psychopaths or even Satan himself. Here is a collection of comics and graphic novels which will send a chill down your spine and keep you up all night.

The Veil

Chris Luna is your average-type cheap private eye, but her customers are the dead. That’s because sometimes she can see through the veil between our realm and the unknown beyond. But to see and speak to the dead is not enough to pay bills and earn a living, and now completely broke, she has to come back home to Maine, and to face the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of her quiet hometown… or maybe it’s only the darkness of her own past.

The Suicide Forest

Just outside Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wildernesses in Japan… which is also the most famous suicide spot in the entire world. Legend has it that the spirits of the suicide victims are still roaming—haunting those ancient woods. This series, from the creators of the acclaimed “The Veil,” examines the lives of Alan, an average-joe from Tokyo, his girlfriend Masami, and Ryoko, a forest ranger who recovers the suicide victims’ bodies from the woods, hoping to find his father. After their experiences with the Suicide Forest, their lives will never be the same again.

The Butcher

Looking to catch a break and make a buck, a man from a family of small-time traders takes a job on a cargo ship. But his hopes quickly fade when he discovers just what is in the ship’s holds. And he’s not the only one revolted by the ship’s cargo. The Butcher disapproves too, and he’s about to make his feelings known, the only way he knows how—with fatal force. Meting out justice to the ship’s crew is a start, but he won’t stop until he’s tracked down the ringleaders behind the band of traffickers. The story of a man who has lost his faith in the world, and who will do everything in his power to restore it.

Little Miss Cheery

What do you do when you hate your wife and you’re sleeping with your stepdaughter? If you’re ostrich farmer Pep, you beat your wife’s head in with a shovel when your stepdaughter asks you to. You might do it some rainy night, and toss the body down a well for good measure. You might even think you’re getting some money out of it. But if you’re hapless and unlucky as Pep is, you might find yourself trapped in a hell of your own making, endlessly wondering: how many times do you have to kill someone before they’re really dead?

Raptors

At first, we’d say that they’re not like us. But we soon realize that it’s actually the other way round — we’re not like them. They are the Raptors. They have the power, the arrogance of the wealthy, the memory of centuries gone by. It’s only when the danger becomes clear that they react. And everything will be turned upside down.

The Dream

With his series “The Dream,” scriptwriter Jean Dufaux creates a fresco of contemporary America. Each volume is dedicated to one of his unique characters: an empty‐headed fashion victim, a yuppie turned vagabond, rural folks in the Midwest, even a male stripper in the San Francisco suburbs. The witness to all of this is Megan, a Hollywood casting director. Her risky mission: to bring out the potential actor hidden deep inside each and every one of these characters.

Empty Eyes

Somewhere on the Eastern Front in 1917, between Poland and Russia. Behind the gates of the Nurk Orphanage, there is a scene of utter devastation: the building lies in ruins, and decomposing bodies are scattered around the place. Only three children have survived, by taking the most extreme measures… But one of the orphans can no longer bear this harsh way of living. Luckily, he discovers new friends—the only ones?—in the beautiful Victorian dolls lining the shelves, with empty eyes…

Header image: The Suicide Forest © El Torres, Gabriel Hernández Walta / Dargaud

What’s Halloween without spooky comic BOOks and graphic novels for all ages? Whether it’s a spine-tingling murder mystery full of serial killers, ghosts and zombies or magical adventures with cute little witches or vampires, you’ll find them all here!

Dead and Unburied

Yan is on top of the world. School’s almost out for summer, he’s about to have a new baby sister, and he’s going to be spending his vacation making a zombie movie with his best friend Nico. But on his way home from school, he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and before he knows it, his life is slipping away… Things are no longer smelling rosy now that Yan’s pushing up daisies. But for some reason, Yan’s soul isn’t going anywhere: his body may be rotting, but his mind is clear, and once out of his grave, Yan is determined to be reunited with his family. He may be falling apart, but he isn’t about to let that happen to them!

Mr. Ash Tuesday – 4. The Vaccine of Resurrection

Mr. Ash Tuesday finally comes to the end of his wanderings. Right at the heart of Pluto and the first circles of Purgatory, Ash Tuesday comes face to face with the painful incarnations of his past. Thus the postman and his companion at last discover the true nature of Purgatory. It’s all a bit too much for Ash Tuesday, who ends up fleeing the scene and returning to Saint-Cecile. Back in Saint-Cecile, chaos rules following an overdose of Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) and a deluge of coffee rain. This is when a certain skeleton discovers the resurrection formula: the combination of forbidden coffee and sincere repentance. Finally Pluto will be purged of its population of tormented souls! But will they once again be tempted to return to the pleasures of the flesh? Of course they will!

Rose – 2. Double Blood

Rose, a young woman not quite like any other, is looking for answers after losing her father and facing potential threats to her own safety. With the help of her unique ability to leave her physical body, she is determined to uncover the secrets behind her father’s murder—and the murder he himself apparently committed so many years ago. But as Rose plunges further into a mystical world of ghosts, witches, and curses, she remains unaware of the true nature of the threat looming over her.

Zombillenium

The Zombillenium theme park is hiring… for all of eternity. Led by vampire Francis von Bloodt, Zombillenium and its sinister personnel welcome all comers for the time of their lives. The park isn’t free from the financial crisis that’s rocked all sectors of the economy, but its savior just might be on the way, the likes of which no one has ever seen… An impeccable black comedy from author Arthur de Pins.

Magic 7 – 2. Against Them All

Leo, Farah, Lupe, and Hamelin will need all of their supernatural gifts, and all the help they can get, to fight a mysterious power that has all the authority figures in their town—teachers, parents, and police—acting strangely and dangerously. And along the way, they will learn more about the bond that links them, and just what a daunting future the Magic 7 must prepare for.

Suicide Forest – Part 2

Alan is interrogated by the police due to his best friend’s death two nights earlier. Ryoko receives a verbal warning for his behavior and his Japanese traditional beliefs that reveal us Ryoko’s deep secret.

The Veil

Chris Luna is completely broke because seeing and speaking to the dead is not enough to pay the bills. After her aunt’s death, she returns to her hometown, Crooksville, Maine, in order to sell the house she has inherited.

The Heart of Shadows

Luc is a frail child who’s afraid of anything and everything, no thanks to his Italian grandmother and her dark bedtime stories. So when he disappears from his bedroom one night, everyone fears the worst. Has he been kidnapped? Did he run away like his sister once did? Little do they know, Luc has traveled to a mysterious land filled with monsters and strange creatures named Shadows and is about to embark on a terrifying journey around the world where he must learn to conquer his fears if he ever hopes to return home. Accompanying him on his journey is the mysterious Uomo Nero, the bogeyman from the nursery rhymes his nana used to sing to him…

Hematite

Hematite is a young vampire who is trying to find her way. As a member of the illustrious Blackwood family, she faces pressure to conform to high society standards, but such grandstanding isn’t for her. And neither is drinking blood—she’d rather have vegetable soup! So it is that she opts for the more diverse Wolven School, rather than joining the ranks of her fellow vampires at the Diaemus Academy. Being different can be hard, though, and doesn’t always help to make friends. Luckily for Hematite, she has her poetry, as well as Drunela—a draugr who won’t let their differences keep them apart—and Emile, a human boy fascinated by the occult who would just love to take a peek at the Blackwoods’ private library. Unfortunately, bridging societal divides isn’t always easy, and can lead to terrible consequences…

White All Around

Canterbury, Connecticut, 1832: a charming female boarding school has found success among the locals, with two dozen girls enrolled. Some in town question the purpose of educating young girls—but surely there’s no harm in trying? At least not until the Prudence Crandall School announces its plans to start accepting black students. Thirty years before the abolition of slavery in the United States, in the so-called “free” North, these students will be met by a wave of hostility that puts the future of the school in question, and their very lives in peril. Even in the land of the free, not all of America’s children are welcome.

Magic

A baby girl born with purple hair is promptly handed over to a convent by her horrified father, who fears she bears the sign of the witch. And indeed, little Evelyn seems to have strange powers and to attract supernatural manifestations as she grows up among the nuns, who patiently put up with it as best they can. But after one scary “trick” too many, she is entrusted to the care of a hat-maker, who whisks her off to London, where she will learn about much more than making hats! For as Evelyn and her talking cat Benedict will soon find out, Master Neil has a few tricks up his sleeve, too, and his hat shop might not be exactly what it seems…

Louca

Adolescence is a terrible time for most people. For Louca, it’s especially bad! Generally mediocre, a poor student, awkward with girls… he’s a walking disaster. But Louca has decided: starting tomorrow, he’s going to change! Still, that’s easier said than done… especially when your own mind keeps changing! Luckily, Louca will get a helping hand from a certain fellow named Nathan. Good-looking, amazing at football, funny, smart… this Nathan certainly seems like the perfect guy, and the best coach Louca could possibly hope for. With one little exception: Nathan is a ghost… How did Nathan die? Why can only Louca see him? Will Nathan manage to turn Louca into the kind of guy people want to be with? Will Louca manage both to pass his exams, and to win over Julie, the girl of his dreams?

Oneira

In an obscure world gripped by terror, nightmares have come to life. Driven by the sole desire to eliminate their hosts, these monsters have become a plague to be eradicated. The Ordo-Sancti, a powerful religious group, has put the Weaver corps in charge of slaying the beasts. Arane Heos is a renowned member of the Weavers. As she battles the nightmares, she will have to deal with the growing turmoil within the Church and her caste, which now threatens the secret that involves her child.

Night Cry

When it comes to rituals, Teresa, who runs a bookstore specializing in magic and the occult, knows her fair share. But when she manages to summon Laura, an anime-loving demon, the ritual goes awry: Laura is there to grant her any wish, but Teresa doesn’t know what to ask for. And so the two are stuck with each other… Thus begins a strange cohabitation, while Laura decides to investigate a series of unexplained disappearances in town. Through the author’s captivating artwork and spirited dialogue, discover an offbeat and magical world close to our own, alternating between warmth and sweet melancholy.

Header image: Zombillenium © Arthur De Pins / Dupuis

Valentine

Valentine is a secondary-school student like many others. Her daily life is filled with all the upheavals and self-questioning of adolescence. Self-conscious, she tries to assert herself within a group in which she is “the shy one”. She spends most of her time with her girlfriends, at school or at parties on the weekend. She also tries desperately to get the attention of Felix, the boy she’s in love with – and who has no idea she exists. To make things worse, he’s in the “rival” class to her own… Little by little, this young woman learns to express herself and find her place in the cruel and treacherous world of adolescence, from MP3 players and Japanese mangas, to her first parties and her first whiskey and Coke.

Sleeping Beauty

Oxana, a young dancer from the turn of the 19th century, is the victim of a terrible curse that plunges her into a deep sleep. She awakens a hundred years later with no memory of the past in a time that is not her own. Why has she lost her memory? What power does her strange medallion hold? What are the intentions of the mysterious man in white who comes to her assistance?

The Misfits Club for Girls

Four high school girls who have problems fitting in decide to join forces and form their own club, which they feel will empower them to better face the world and their own individual problems. Their first goal is to get girl No. 5 to join them: Paloma, a troubled and anti-social teenager who’s lived in more than fifteen foster homes since she was six. But before the Misfits can welcome Paloma into the fold, they must first get her to confront her difficult and tragic past.

Save Me Pythia

Pythia lives in Delphi, in Ancient Greece, and between her classes at high school and her part-time job at the temple of Apollo, she leads quite a normal, boring life… until the day that she refuses Apollo’s advances and he places upon her a terrible curse. She is now able to predict the future, but whenever she sees a catastrophic event on the horizon, no one believes her warnings and she is helpless to stop it from taking place. However, her new skills draw the interest some of the highest authorities: Zeus, the king of the Gods, entrusts her with a mission. Zeus has fathered yet another bastard child, a boy named Xanthos, and his wife Hera is on the war path. Wherever Xanthos goes, she rains down misfortunes and disasters, but maybe Pythia’s prophecies could help the arrogant young Xanthos to survive the wrath of Her

Golam

Through a series of strange circumstances, Mehdi, a pickpocket making his living in the streets of the Abu caliphate, finds himself partaking in the entrance exam for Hikmadrassa, the most prestigious alchemy school on the continent. He might not know much about enchantments, spells and conjuring up golams, but he will soon discover that he’s got a rare power all of his own! As he dives into the world of the golams, Medhi not only meets his first true friends, but he also comes to understand his origins and turns to face his destiny!

Otaku Blue

Asami is a sociology student studying otaku for her thesis. Her relationship with Kotaro is on the rocks: she’s busy with her research, and he’s an aspiring filmmaker working on a J-horror flick. The real horror is out there on the streets: a serial killer who amputates body parts from his prostitute victims. What’s his sick game? As Inspector Arakawa and his young protégé Ryohei wade deeper into depravity, Asami, with the help of cosplayer Maiko, sets out in search of an otaku so elusive he’s almost an urban legend in the youth culture capital of Akihabara: the mysterious Buntaro.

Yojimbot

In a dystopian not-too-distant future in Japan, Hiro lives with his father on an island populated by androids, where they eke out a meager existence while trying to keep out of sight. But when they run afoul of a troop of high-tech military thugs, Hiro’s dad sacrifices himself to save his son, turning Hiro’s already-bleak world upside-down. He is then rescued by a samurai robot called a “yojimbot,” and together they seek to avenge his father’s death and make contact with a mysterious associate known only as the “rights holder,” before the soldiers and their drones close in…

Menji and the Sea Dragon

Once every thousand years, the incredible Sea Dragon reappears! It is said that the first person it lays eyes upon will become its master and be able to control its extraordinary powers. The time has come: the Sea Dragon is about to return at any moment! Master Fox wishes to use the Sea Dragon’s powers to reign over the Squirming Archipelago. But he will need the help of his servant, the cowardly and naive cat Menji. But others are also searching for the legendary Sea Dragon… and they will stop at nothing to get there first!

Sweet Konkrete

In the megalopolis of Cielazur, the truth is sometimes concealed to keep up appearances. Asa, a young police officer with a thirst for justice, sees her life change course dramatically when she discovers a strange symbol engraved upon her late father’s service weapon. As she begins to investigate, Asa realizes that in order to uncover the truth about her father’s mysterious death, she will have to enter the Citadel: a mysterious ghetto where crime reigns supreme, and the laws of nature don’t apply! A riveting first volume in six chapters.

Oneira

In an obscure world gripped by terror, nightmares have come to life. Driven by the sole desire to eliminate their hosts, these monsters have become a plague to be eradicated. The Ordo-Sancti, a powerful religious group, has put the Weaver corps in charge of slaying the beasts. Arane Heos is a renowned member of the Weavers. As she battles the nightmares, she will have to deal with the growing turmoil within the Church and her caste, which now threatens the secret that involves her child.

Zoc

Zoc has an unusual gift: her hair attracts water, allowing her to drag huge quantities of it along behind her. But somehow her extraordinary ability only ever seems to get her into trouble. Struggling to discover her purpose in life, Zoc finds a way of using her talents to help a flooded town. On her journey, she’ll encounter wandering minstrels, hostile townsfolk, and the fiery Kael, whose equally unusual gift might just make for the perfect friendship.

Cover image © Oneira by Cab, Federica Di Meo, Kana

Murena

First off – ancient history class. In this meticulously researched series we find ourselves in Ancient Rome. In the intense heat of the centre of one of the most far-reaching empires the world has ever known, gladiators struggle for survival in the arena, cunning merchants strive to outwit each other, sordid love affairs turn sour, and along side it all, the eternal game of power plays out in the shadows…

The Battle

Next – XIXth century Europe. It’s May 1809. Napolean’s great army is getting ready to cross the Danube on the immense floating bridge that they constructed overnight on the orders of the France’s most famous military genius. On the other side of the river, Archduke Charles and his Austrian army are waiting for them, determined to get their revenge for the humiliating defeat they suffered at Austerlitz. And so the horror begins…

Gauguin: Off the Beaten Track

To take a little break from history – let’s turn to an art class. This is the story of the life and death of one of the greatest painters of the 20th century. Fed up with his life in France, Paul Gauguin sets out for Tahiti, where he subsequently decides to settle. As he immerses himself in the culture of a tropical country that couldn’t be more different from his own, the painter not only gains a new lease on life, but begins producing some of his most inspired work.

Second Generation 

XXth century Europe. This is an autobiographical story of a childhood burdened by the silence of traumatized parents who spoke in Yiddish when they didn’t want their children to understand. A house where the ghosts of grandparents and aunts roamed, ghosts the father of the family carried with him everywhere, although trying to look good in a society that wanted to turn the page and build the future. And then one fine day, mourning the death of his son, he began to speak. This a story of life that became survival.

1066

King Edward of England is dead. Edward’s son Harold, one of the potential successors, renounces his oath to yield the throne to William of Normandy. From that day forth, William will have no peace until his rightful claim to the throne is acknowledged. As the famous Halley comet soars across the heavens, giving rise to much speculation among the scholars of the time, William, Duke of Normandy, launches into the arrangements for the conquest that will change the face of England — one of the most formidable military expeditions History has ever seen.

Berezina

In 1812, in order to keep his stranglehold on Europe, Napoleon had no choice but to declare war on the Russian emperor, Alexander. After three months of marching, his men, starved and exhausted, finally made it to Moscow… only to discover that the city had been deserted. Thus Napoleon and his army took up residence in the Russian capital without even the slightest resistance. But by nightfall, Moscow was on fire. Houses, churches and even the Kremlin were ablaze, and the entire French army risked being reduced to ashes. Caught in the trap, Napoleon was forced to leave the city and get back on the road to face his enemy.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie is the only woman ever to have received two Nobel prizes: the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, shared with her husband, Pierre Curie, and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for her work with polonium and radium in 1911. She was also the first woman ever to teach at the Sorbonne. This inspired comic is set at the time she received her second Nobel Prize, when a vicious press campaign was launched against her, denouncing her affair with the physician Paul Langevin. Through her flash-backs, we’re invited to witness the key moments of this exceptional woman’s life and work.

Cervantes

This is the story of the distinguished Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and the misfortunes and blessings to be visited upon him over the course of his most remarkable life.

On the History Trail With Ariane and Nino

Nino would rather be outside playing than stuck inside doing homework—especially science homework. Then he discovers that one of the greatest scientists ever started out feeling the same way: Albert Einstein—the guy who invented that famous formula: E=mc2. And, as Ariane explains, there was a lot more to Einstein than just formulas. Thanks to him, we have GPS devices and electric gates, nuclear energy and … well, yes, also nuclear bombs. Einstein did everything he could to make the world a better place—but after all, he was only human!

Red Poster

This is the story of Marcel Rayman, a young Polish Jew whose face is featured on the infamous ‘Affiche Rouge’, propaganda circulated in occupied France in an attempt to discredit the Parisian resistance. The Nazi abomination drove Rayman to set aside his pacifist principles and take up arms in the ranks of Missak Manoukian’s resistance movement. For two long years, during which he saw his entire family deported, Marcel Rayman led a clandestine life, shrouded in death, fear and treachery.

Daubigny’s Garden

A graphic novel about Charles-François Daubigny, an important precursor of Impressionism. Born in Paris, into a family of painters and was taught the art by his father Edmond François Daubigny and his uncle, miniaturist Pierre Daubigny. Initially Daubigny painted in a traditional style, but this changed after 1843 when he settled in Barbizon to work outside in nature.

Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin

A few months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, kicking off the U.S. civil rights movement, making headlines around he world and becoming an enduring symbol of the fight for dignity and equality, another young black woman refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was the wrong person at the right time, and so History did not choose her. Her name was Claudette Colvin and this is her story.

Uh-Oh Plato!

France—the early 21st century. A young student must complete a corporate job shadowing internship. Thanks to a cousin on his father’s side, also of Greek descent, he gets a foot in the door at a famous consulting firm. He will soon discover the true face of office life. The intern’s name: Kevin Plato. From Nietzsche the director of human resources, to Foucault the video-surveillance monitor, to Teresa of Ávila the executive secretary, and many, many more, Plato dives headfirst into the world of work… philosopher style.

Shelley

Born into an aristocratic family, Percy Bysshe Shelley has no intentions of following in his father’s political footsteps. The rebellious young poet finds himself drawn to more scandalous pursuits: supporting anti-royalist and anti-clerical causes, championing vegetarianism, and extolling the virtues of atheism, an act that ultimately leads to his expulsion from Oxford University. Book 1 of “Shelley” lets us dive into Percy’s tumultuous childhood, giving us an insight into his friendships with some of the finest progressive thinkers of the times, not to mention his blossoming relationship with his future wife and author of “Frankenstein,” Mary.

Stevenson: The Pirate Within

This is the fascinating life story of Robert Louis Stevenson, the beloved author of classics such as “Treasure Island” and “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” from his early days as an aspiring writer to his first published works, his love affair and then marriage to Fanny Osbourne, his success as an author, his many travels across Europe and the U.S., and finally his voyage to the islands of the South Pacific, where he eventually built the house of his dreams. Stevenson never let his weak lungs (which he referred to as pirates waging a battle inside him) and delicate constitution stand in the way of his insatiable thirst for adventure, living life on his own terms until the very end.

Frank: A Story of a Forgotten Dictatorship

“In order to see the future, one must remember the past.” “Frank” is a biographical retelling of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s rise to power, brought to life across the book’s beautifully designed pages. Here, author Ximo Abadía approaches a subject that is still taboo in Spain: the weight of a dictatorship that left its mark on the country for over 30 years.

Hubert Reeves Explains Biodiversity

After spending many years gazing up at the stars, Hubert Reeves has turned his attention to the future of our planet. The world’s friendliest and most enthusiastic astrophysicist takes us on a surprising journey, which will make us all realize how important it is to protect our environment.

Cover image © Pico Bogue by Alexis Dormal and Dominique Roques, Dargaud

Need to add a little hygge touch to your housebound lifestyle? It’s the perfect season! Make yourself a cup of tea, put on your favorite pajamas and curl up with some of the snuggliest titles from the Europe Comics catalog.

Days of Sugar and Spice

Rose is not a happy young woman; she is closed off and angry and she hates her job. But her life changes drastically when she inherits her father’s bakery in a small town in Brittany. Returning to a place that brought her both joy and grief forces her to confront painful memories of her past and find the courage to open her heart to a new, happier life that awaits her if she will just let it. A story about new beginnings, filled with small town charm, delicious pastries and the warmth of home and friends.

Dodin-Bouffant: Gourmet Extraordinaire

Dodin-Bouffant is a total food enthusiast. He lives for excellence and spends his time surrounded by a small circle of hand-picked gastronomes. When his beloved cook, Eugénie, dies, it turns Bouffant’s world upside down. After a long, hard search he finally finds what he is looking for in Adèle. Not without some complications, Adèle and Dodin-Bouffant form a strong bond and share many a delicious meal. This novel by Marcel Rouff (1887-1936) is a tribute to the famous French gastronome Brillat-Savarin, on whom the character Dodin-Bouffant is loosely based.

Elma: A Bear’s Life

Elma is a joyful, free-spirited child who is being raised by a bear she thinks of as her father. But Papa Bear is hiding a secret, and the close-knit duo must make a long and perilous journey to begin a mysterious new life beyond the forest. Adventure and danger are in store as they discover the linked secrets of Elma’s past and future.

Glorious Summers

In this nostalgic account, the Faldérault family sets out for a final summer vacation together before an impending marital separation disrupts the family dynamics for good. Along the way, heading south to France from Brussels, Pierre, Maddie, and their children revel in impromptu skinny-dips, family sing-alongs, and camping in the wild, ultimately finding a renewed zest for life—and vacation!

Limited Edition

Claire is a thirtysomething neonatal nurse who is becoming increasingly discouraged about her prospects of getting into a long-term relationship and starting a family. She thinks she may have finally met her man in Franck—if not a Prince Charming then at least a friendly and compatible person—but societal pressures and gender norms seem to rear their heads at every turn and Claire begins to wonder if it will ever be possible for her to be happy with another person on her own terms. Aude Picault’s chronicle of everyday romance is full of wit and sympathy but it is also backed up by a bibliography of feminist essays and studies of gender relations, offering a valuable and complicated case study of the challenges facing modern women.

Macaroni

The touching story of a child getting to know his grandfather, an Italian immigrant living in Belgium. 11-year-old Romeo thinks of his grandfather as nothing but an “old pain-in-the-butt.” So when he finds out that he’s going to have to spend a few days with him at his crumbling old house, without even a TV to keep him entertained… well, it’s his idea of hell. But there are some surprises in store for Romeo during his visit. He changes his mind about a few things, perhaps thanks to his grandfather’s neighbor, Lucy, who tells him about her own “nonno,” and shows him how a spoil tip can be a thing of beauty. Or perhaps it’s thanks to Romeo’s dad, who speaks for the first time about his childhood relationship with his father. But it’s mostly thanks to Ottavio who, beneath his old, grouchy exterior, conceals the hard life he has led, full of suffering and sacrifice. It is a life the 11-year-old Romeo finds hard to comprehend, but which gives him a deeper understanding of someone from another century. It started off as just a short holiday to a grey Belgian town. But this holiday turns into an opportunity for three generations of men to lift the silence that surrounds them. A touching story about Italian immigration, coal mining, communication between the generations and the difficultly of opening up when you’ve spent your whole life in silence.

Mamma Mia!

Single mom Aurélie’s moving back in with her grandmother, her young daughter Emma in tow. And to everyone’s surprise, so is Sophie—Aurélie’s perennially absent mother, back from yet another adventure abroad. With four generations of women living under the same roof, life is never simple—and bound to get messy!

Memories of a Crappy Pooch

Maria Fuencisla, a long-term resident in a central Madrid neighborhood, is hit hard when her pet dies in a tragic accident. Her three best friends, Anastasia, Dori and Ricarda, come up with various schemes to try to comfort her, but it’s almost impossible, because the deceased dog was the focus of the old lady’s entire universe. These pages are full of tragicomic memories showing us how Maria Fuencisla and her small dog formed such a solid — if somewhat unorthodox — team. Together, they overcome the difficulties of being a senior citizen and a puppy in this hyper-modern age. The puppy was her dearest one, the son that she never had, and as she thinks back on their adventures together, she tries to move past this latest tragedy and move on with her life… but the fates have more in store for her.

Pico Bogue

Pico Bogue is the eldest child of a normal family, and when we say ‘normal’, we mean unique, quirky and occasionally just stark raving mad! Along with his little sister Anna, Pico goes through life with as many certainties as he has questions, making the kind of pertinent observations that only children are capable of. Sometimes challenging, always loveable, there’s no end to Pico’s mischief, much to the amusement, exasperation and surprise of his long-suffering parents!

The Adventure of Chick the First

He’s a chick unlike any other! Right from day one, Chick the 1st is beleaguered by the doubts and questions that come with the capacity to reason. When the farmyard dog asks him “What are you?”, little does he suspect the turmoil of endless enigmas he provokes in our little chick’s mind. While seeking answers to his endless questions, Chick the 1st shakes up all the social conventions of the chicken coop, causing scandal left, right and center. With the help of his Aunt Gallina and the mouse that devours books, Chick the 1st grapples with reality, both in the abstract and literal sense!

The Bugle Boy

Eighty-five-year-old Marcel lives alone with his memories of World War II — his short-lived days as a soldier before his capture and imprisonment by the Germans. He’s got one thing left to do before he dies: find the bugle he buried by the Maginot Line. When his granddaughter Andrea stops by with her burgeoning rural taxi business, he hops a ride to the site of his regiment’s defeat… only to find things have changed. This is Alexandre Clérisse’s fierce, tender, and timely rumination on the horrors of war and the lies we tell ourselves.

The Detection Club

In 1930s England, the best mystery writers of the era come together to form the Detection Club. G. K. Chesterton, Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr and others gather to eat, drink, and challenge one another. They are in for a bigger test, however, when eccentric billionaire Roderick Ghyll invites them all to his mansion on a private island off the coast of Cornwall, promising to enchant them with his latest creation: a robot that can predict the culprit in their novels. But when someone ends up murdered, who will lead the investigation? Jean Harambat is back, following the success of “Operation Copperhead,” with a hilarious, satirical take on the classic crime novel.

Mia and Co.

Mia, Gauthier, Louka and Zouzou are inseparable. Like most teenagers, they’d much rather be playing video games or making music than doing their homework. Mia, the only girl in the group, doesn’t really seem to click with the other girls in her class. But as they grow up, her tight-knit friendship group will become more and more complicated as girl-boy relationships start to get interesting…

Venezia

After their first explosive encounter, Giuseppe and Sophia hate one another with a passion. As fate would have it, both have a secret identity permitting them to conduct investigations incognito. Once his false mustache and wig are removed, Giuseppe becomes “the Eagle.” And when her tights and black hood are donned, Sophia transforms into “the Black Scorpion.” The Eagle and the Scorpion feel an irresistible attraction for one another… but will they share their first kiss and track down the mysterious “Codex Bellum” before Giuseppe and Sophia tear each other into beautiful little pieces?

Valentine

Valentine is a secondary-school student like many others. Her daily life is filled with all the upheavals and self-questioning of adolescence. Self-conscious, she tries to assert herself within a group in which she is “the shy one”. She spends most of her time with her girlfriends, at school or at parties on the weekend. She also tries desperately to get the attention of Felix, the boy she’s in love with – and who has no idea she exists. To make things worse, he’s in the “rival” class to her own… Little by little, this young woman learns to express herself and find her place in the cruel and treacherous world of adolescence, from MP3 players and Japanese mangas, to her first parties and her first whiskey and Coke.

Header image: Blast © Manu Larcenet / Dargaud

Add a splash of freshness to your reading list this summer with this vast selection of comics and graphic novels where water plays a central role in the plots!

The Grémillet Sisters – 3. Lucille’s Treasure

Zoc

Zoc has an unusual gift: her hair attracts water, allowing her to drag huge quantities of it along behind her. But somehow her extraordinary ability only ever seems to get her into trouble. Struggling to discover her purpose in life, Zoc finds a way of using her talents to help a flooded town. On her journey, she’ll encounter wandering minstrels, hostile townsfolk, and the fiery Kael, whose equally unusual gift might just make for the perfect friendship.

The Whale Library

Layla

A young man’s destiny is changed forever when he encounters the deadly and bewitching Layla, a serpent-woman who lives in the swamp and feasts on the spirits and flesh of greedy men. Forever haunted by Layla’s sensuous beauty, Froghert will do whatever he can, be it at the cost of his own life and soul, to protect her against power-hungry monarchs seeking to take possession of the enchanted stone she wears around her neck. A tale of obsession, avarice, and the blood-drenched quest for immortality.

Okheania

The planet Oceania is covered with an ocean of vegetation. Humans navigate the green seas with futuristic ships. Teenagers Jon and Jasper spend most of their days surfing the vast waves of foliage, until one day, without warning, they’re hit by a tsunami. Jon disappears beneath the leafy ocean surface and Jasper is picked up by a ship called the Poseidon. It is said that none return from the depths of this treacherous ocean. But the captain of the Poseidon tells a different story. Will Jon and Jasper ever find each other?

The Monstrous Dreams of Mr. Providence

Mr. Providence is the caretaker at what seems by day to be an ordinary city park. But the park is home to mysterious entities that awaken when night falls, and Providence has sworn to protect its visitors despite the doubts of his corporate-minded new manager. A delicate balance is tipped into chaos with the discovery of a mysterious blank book—and the dark energies it threatens to unleash. All Providence wants is to escape: to somewhere quiet, isolated, and peaceful, like the strange high house he keeps seeing reflected in the park’s pond…

Esteban

When Esteban, a young Native American boy of just 12 years old, presents himself to the captain of the Leviathan for the post of ‘harpooner’, he’s the laughing stock of the whole crew. But when the captain finds out that Esteban is the son of Suzanna of the Tehuelches tribe, he decides to take him on… as ship’s boy. Despite his lowly post, this is Esteban’s chance to discover the sailor’s life, with all its hardship and its happiness, and maybe even a chance to prove what he’s made of!

Water Memory

Marion starts a new life when she moves into the family house that her mother has recently inherited. She waves goodbye to city life and hello to a life by the sea, in the village where her grandparents lived for over 30 years. And it’s just magical: a fantastic view and the beach just at the end of the garden. In the village, the older residents seem to have fond memories of Marion’s grandfather, who died long before she was born. Now’s her chance to find out more about her family history, about which, until now, she knew practically nothing. And then there are those sculpted rocks which are apparently a trace of forgotten legends…

Worlds Unseen

The Young Woman and the Sea

Catherine Meurisse once again draws upon her memories. Her stay in a far-off, strange-yet-familiar land, at the Japanese villa Kujoyama in 2018, provides the artist with another opportunity to pursue her creative quest, this time where the West and Far East meet. In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the young artist lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes. Imagination and dialogue are key to penetrating the secrets of this strange territory and discovering why the young explorer finds it so fascinating. This Alice daydreams and wonders, returning every now and then to reality and nature, that dynamic dictator of events and situations. After The Great Outdoors, Catherine Meurisse continues her pursuit of beauty in an unknown land, between mountain and sea, illustrating landscapes that reflect the seasons and the artist’s progress. Truly splendid!

Black Water Lilies

Three willful women: one old wicked, one young and selfish, and the third in the prime of her life. A man murdered three ways: stabbed, bludgeoned, and drowned in a stream. The mystery brings brash young Inspector Laurenç to the postcard-perfect Norman village of Giverny, home to Impressionist Claude Monet’s gardens and studio. Like any small town, Giverny has its secrets. But have they to do with greed? Lust? Missing paintings? Jealous husbands? Laurenç soon finds himself head over heels for a pretty schoolteacher—and in over his head. Dider Cassegrain brings Michel Bussi’s bestselling novel to life in lush, delicate watercolors worthy of the famous canvases that lend the book its name: Monet’s immortal Water Lilies…

Jeremy – 5. The Plastic Hunter

Pico Bogue – 6. Everyone Stay Calm

It’s summertime, and Pico, Anna and their uncle Antoine fill up the car with all manner beach paraphernalia and head for the seaside. It’s sure to be a vacation full of all sorts of magic and mischief!

Hubert Reeves – 3. Oceans

Header image: Zoc © Jade Khoo / Dargaud