Tears of an Afghan Warlord

In this documentary comics we meet Belgian journalist Pascale Bourgaux as she travels with a cameraman back to a small village in the north of Afghanistan that she has been visiting regularly for ten years. The village is controlled by the warlord and resistance fighter Mamour Hasan, who fought to expel the Taliban from his land just like the Russians before them. To her great surprise, she finds the people there weary of the Europeans and corrupt Afghan officials and even the warlord’s own sons seem ready to welcome the return of the Taliban. This book uses the pacing and observational skills of artists Vincent Zabus and Thomas Campi to give a palpable sense of daily life in this troubled, faraway land as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of two seasoned journalists at work.

Life Under Occupation

“Life under Occupation” is the adaptation of author José Pablo García’s trip to the occupied Palestinian territories, in collaboration with Action Against Hunger and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). From high-security airports to tension on the ground, García’s ten-day trip from Nablus to Gaza makes for a non-fiction graphic novel full of emotion and eye-opening discoveries.

Yallah Bye

July 2006. Gabriel El Chawadi says goodbye to his family at the Paris airport as they leave for their summer vacation in southern Lebanon. But a conflict at the Israel-Lebanon border escalates into a full-blown aerial attack, and for the next few harrowing weeks, the family hides for cover with friends and relatives, watches helplessly as people and buildings are destroyed all around them, and hope against all hope that France will evacuate them to safety. Back in Paris, Gabriel watches the events unfold on television with growing horror and sends out desperate calls for help to anyone who will listen.

The Yankee Comandante 

This is the true story of William Alexander Morgan, the Yankee Comandante, an idealistic young American who found fame fighting in the Cuban Revolution. The blond American didn’t speak a word of Spanish, but he felt his rightful place was among the guerilleros of the Escambray Mountains, fighting to bring down dictator Fulgencio Batista. Morgan was among Havana’s liberators in 1959, an act that led FBI director Edgar Hoover to strip him of his American citizenship. There was a time when Morgan was international front-page news, on a level with Che Guevara. Yet “el comandante yanqui” has largely disappeared from the history of the Cuban Revolution. Author Gani Jakupi recounts a forgotten tale from one of the greatest military and political events of the 20th century.

Muchacho

In 1976 Nicaragua “Tacit” Somoza rules the small Central American country with the support of the ruthless Guardia. The son of a powerful family from the capital, Managua, Gabriel is a young priest with an incredible talent for sacred art. He is sent to enhance his painting skills with Ruben, a priest in San Juan–a little village located at the base of a mountain. Despite his difficulty integrating with the villagers due to his father’s reputation, Gabriel slowly gets to know them and, eventually, to love them. Encouraged by Ruben, he paints the villagers. He paints them as they are–men and women of flesh and blood. But Gabriel is soon witness to acts of military repression of the locals. It doesn’t take long for him and the villagers to get swept away in these times of growing rebellion and smoldering revolution. Artistic passion, romantic passion, revolutionary passion. Passion courses though the pages of Muchacho, a two-part series.

Falafel With Hot Sauce

Acclaimed political cartoonist and comic book author Michel Kichka (Second Generation) brings us the fascinating, informative, and uplifting autobiographical tale of his love affair with Israel, a land he was inspired to move to at the age of twenty. From culture shock and Israeli customs to the mandatory military service, from art school to political conflict and human tragedies, he delivers a richly detailed account of his life as an artist, family man, peace advocate and Belgian Jew turned Israeli, living in the beautiful and troubled city of Jerusalem.

Double 7

The Spanish Civil War attracted involvement from a wide variety of governments, individuals and political factions, with Italians, Germans, and North Africans helping Franco and his supporters, and the Soviet Union, Mexico, and international brigades aiding the Republicans. Dusting off a little‐known and often forgotten chapter of history, the authors take us back to this remarkable and terrible period of war as only they can, with a tale full of scheming intrigues. The world they uncover is one of no‐holds‐barred plotting to obtain victory at whatever the cost. And in the midst of the backstabbings and despair, one young Russian pilot falls in love with a feisty Spanish freedomfighter. In the hope it will outlast the bitter conflict engulfing them all.

Kivu

Stéphane, fresh out of college, has gone to work for a powerful industrial consortium. He is soon put in charge of negotiating an important contract in the Congo, and sets off for Africa. But once there, he discovers a cynical and corrupt world beyond anything he could have imagined. His destiny is altered forever when he crosses the path of Violette, a Congolese child hunted by a powerful rebel chief. On his journey, he will also meet Dr. Denis Mukwege, real-life Congolese gynecologist whose activism and medical work won him the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.

Katanga

1960: Katanga breaks away from the Republic of Congo-Léopoldville to become its own republic, backed by the UMHK, a Belgian mining company. When the UN sends in its peacekeeping forces, the UMHK responds by hiring its own mercenaries. Amidst this chaos, $30 million in diamonds goes missing, only to turn up with a man named Charlie at a refugee camp nicknamed “Camp Cannibal.” Soon enough, everyone’s after the diamonds: hard-bitten French mercenaries, hateful former Nazis, adulterous mining executives, greedy Katangan officials… and Charlie’s sister. It’s everyone for themselves in a mad scramble of double-crosses, a scathing cross-section of human venality.

Haytham: A Childhood in Syria

Haytham al-Aswad is a young boy like any other, growing up in the Syrian town of Deera: he plays soccer, hangs out with his friends, and is studying for an upcoming test. But when the revolution breaks out and people take to the streets to protest the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, Haytham suddenly goes from kicking the ball to dodging bullets. His activist father is forced into exile, and the rest of the family eventually join him in France, where Haytham’s new life as a refugee brings its own set of challenges. An engrossing, first-hand account of one of the most devastating political and humanitarian crises in recent history.

Bear’s tooth

Silesia, 1930. Three children play with toy airplanes. Three friends – Max the Polish Jew, Werner and Hanna the Germans. All dream of becoming pilots, but they won’t all have the same opportunities, and the world is heading down a dark road… 1944. Max is now an ace in the US Navy, while Hanna is one of Germany’s top test pilots. Will anything remain of their old friendship, as the sides they each chose are locked in a struggle to the death?

Three friends, united by their love of flying, torn apart by different origins. Amidst the madness of WW2, what will prove strongest: friendship, or loyalty?

Header image: Kivu © Jean Van Hamme / Christophe Simon / Le Lombard

Human

Planet Earth: 500,000 years in the future. Humans have been extinct for millennia. Two scientists, Robert and June, have been orbiting the Earth, waiting for the planet to become habitable once more. With the help of a team of robots, they plan to start over from scratch: a new Adam and Eve who won’t make the same mistakes as their ancestors. But first Robert has to find June, who seems to have landed somewhere else in this vast jungle—their Eden—full of grotesque creatures and strange primates…

Alas

When a young girl is captured in the forest and brought to the city, only to escape shortly afterwards, all manner of individuals and organizations try to get their hands on her, no matter the cost. In a chilling and clever tour de force, the authors use the backdrop of the 1910 Great Flood of Paris to depict a world where animals rule and humans are viewed as curiosities, scientific guinea pigs, hunting trophies, and the occasional snack. A political satire that forces us to question our treatment of different species, the nature of intelligence, and more.

Mermaid Project

Paris, end of the 21st century. Inspector Romane Pennac is the only white woman in her station. The world has suffered devastating wars and ecological disasters, and the old powers of Europe and America are now the third world. Amidst it all, it is to this young woman, now a member of a discriminated-against minority, that a couple of devastated parents turn. A mysterious letter has just announced that the body of their daughter, recently deceased in New York, is missing from her coffin…

Renaissance

Swänn and Sätie were born on Näkän, a major planet in the Complex, a federation of extraterrestrial civilizations. The young couple hoped to live a peaceful life in an environment where nature and technology coexist in balance. But they are forced to mobilize when the leaders of the Complex decide to launch a vast expedition to save a planet that has exhausted its resources: Earth.

Aster of Pan

The year is 2068. The place, Fontainebleau forest, ancient home of some of France’s mightiest monarchs on the outskirts of what was once Paris. The post-apocalyptic society of Pan survives by growing rice and scavenging among the ruins of a destroyed civilization. Their precarious existence comes under threat when the powerful, technologically advanced Federation of Fortuna forces them into a dangerous choice—submit to Fortuna’s rule, or try to best them in a barbaric, ritualized game known as Celestial Mechanics. Pan’s only hope? A hot-headed outcast they’d rejected for being “un-Pan”: a girl named Aster.

Medina

In a post-apocalyptic future, Medina has become the last bastion of a humanity fighting the nightmarish and infectious creatures known as the Drax. The shield that protects the city won’t hold out much longer, and humankind appears to be condemned. The only ray of hope is a “package” ripped from the Drax by the soldier, Karloff. This package is in fact 14-year-old Hadron, said to carry within her the Great Redemption. But will the humans manage to control this young girl’s force?

Man with a Bear

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.

Gaia

Children of the Gaia is a brief introduction to the post-apocalyptic world of the Gaia series. A family of monsters has to fight for food and survival every single day…

Mutations

Two years have passed since the events of Mermaid Project. The world continues to suffer from the effects of climate change and economic upheaval, and Romane and Brahim have paid the price for their courage and integrity. Ignored, even censored, by their superiors, they’re now reduced to taking lousy private-eye jobs to earn a living. Meanwhile, the same cetaceans whose advanced intelligence the UN had dismissed are now attacking fishing trawlers… with rockets! Before long, the authorities are forced to give our two investigators their old jobs back…

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…

Lost in the Future

A group of students is on a field trip to an ancient castle when a storm erupts. As they are about to leave, four friends are cornered by the class bully, who tries to pull one of his usual pranks. Instead, they all get the scare of their lives when they fall down a tunnel that takes them into the future: a future where mankind has nearly disappeared from the face of the earth, and where nature has taken control. The friends will have to face up to this hostile new world—as well as their nemesis—if they’re to have any chance of making it back home…

U4

Header image: Human © Diego Agrimbau and Lucas Varela / Dargaud

Dad

Being a single dad is a full-time job, as Dad knows only too well! Especially with four headstrong daughters to whom obedience doesn’t exactly come naturally… With bookish Pandora, emotional Ondine, mischievous Roxanne and, the latest addition, baby Bella, this unemployed actor has landed himself the role of a lifetime: looking after his family!

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!

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!

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.

Seeking: Dad 2.0

Caroline is a 33-year-old single mom. To help her cope with the difficulties she faces as such in her personal and professional life, she’s a regular at the M.A (mothers anonymous) association, a conversation group for women who are a little overwhelmed by their motherhood. Caroline shares her tragi-comic attempts to find love and companionship, while Philippe, a slightly out-of-place new arrival at M.A., reflects on his status as a ‘dad 2.0’. A funny, intelligent, and moving graphic novel, a touch of chick lit with a feminist twist that comments on one of the big social subjects of our time: the new family model.

While the King of Prussia…

Mrs. Hubeau looks after her 40-year-old handicapped son, Michel. Despite many happy moments, her daily life is far from easy, but she faces it with unparalleled courage and generosity. This is a beautiful homage to all the admirable people fighting in the shadows.

Anastasia

1926. A mother and her young daughter come to Los Angeles. The mother is chasing her dream: she wants to conquer Hollywood, no matter the cost. Her little girl, Anastasia, is the perfect candidate to be cinema’s next big star. But can she stand the pressure? The clash of dreams and the dirty reality of show business is a heavy burden to bear, as Anastasia comes face to face with the crime, abuse, and murky secrets of an all-powerful industry. A story that calls into question the so-called golden era of Hollywood, when the “dream factory” resembled a Byzantine empire, above the law and fed by vanity and greed.

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.

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.

Header image: Seeking: Dad 2.0 ©  Gwendoline Raisson, Magali Le Huche / Dargaud

From the breathtaking movie The Godfather to the charismatic Netflix series Peaky Blinders, mafia stories have this specific charm that undeniably make us addict. Comics and graphic novels share this interest, highlighting stories of immigrants families that build a prosperous business in a new country, with often criminal means, and under the orders of dangerous men…

Sherman

“The bill always comes due…” Jay Sherman is the American Dream come true: a self-made man who worked himself up from the streets to the upper echelons of moneyed society. But when his son Robert, a promising Democratic presidential candidate, is shot before his eyes, Sherman’s world spins into chaos. Threats on his life and that of his estranged daughter soon follow. An old mentor turned FBI chief steps up to offer his protection, but lacking any real leads, they can only look into Sherman’s past… which has more than its share of skeletons. A political thriller with Gatsbyesque overtones.

Bearskin

Bearskin takes us on a trip to modern day Italy and then all the way to the United States of the late 1930s. Every day, Amadeo bikes up the hill from his small hometown on a beautiful island off the coast of Italy to read the daily horoscope to Don Palermo. Little does he know that this blind and powerless old man with a cane in his hand used to be a bear tamer, not to mention his later shenanigans as the right-hand man of a powerful mafia boss. A highly moving story of love, vengeance and cowardice.

The Passenger

A couple of young American tourists on a honeymoon in Sicily. The most cruel mafia boss, at large and chased by police and rival gangs. Their stories are going to intertwine during a night in which Palermo will be covered in blood.

Escobar

Pablo Escobar is widely considered to have been the most successful criminal in history and to have invented modern-day drug trafficking. At the height of his career, the Colombian kingpin was making a million dollars a day smuggling cocaine into the United States. Here is the tale of the final days of “El Patrón,” folk hero to some, public enemy number one to others, doting father and family man, ruthless murderer and an outlaw like no other.

Black Angel 2

Now well and truly embroiled in the black market trade in alcohol and working for the notorious gangster Al Capone, aka “Scarface,” Bessie reminisces about her childhood in Texas, where she was hunted by the KKK and saved only by the quick thinking of her friends. Now she’s the target of a rival gang and once again her life is threatened. As Bessie loses control of her life, her dream of achieving fame like her idol Eugène Bullard seems to be evaporating like morning mist over the runway. Can she fulfill his prediction to become the “Black Angel”?

Header image: Sherman © Stephen Desberg, Griffo / Le Lombard

Conquests

This opening episode begins with the Hittites’ bloody Urar conquest, which is the first stage of a fierce conflict. Urar belongs to the rulers Marak, Kymris and Simmissee, three ancient rivals who have now united and formed one fearsome fighting force whose sole preoccupation is killing. Woe betide anyoe who provokes their wrath!

In Search of the Unicorn

1471. Leading a band of faithful crossbowmen, Juan de Olid leaves Castile in secret, bound for adventure and the unknown lands of Sub-Saharan Africa. The expedition’s objective is to bring back a unicorn horn as quickly as possible—the future of the kingdom depends on it. On the advice of the most pre-eminent experts of their day, Juan de Olid and his companions take along with them the one thing that can help them in their quest: a virgin. For the scent of unsullied maidens has the power to tame the most formidable of unicorns. Meanwhile, the apothecaries of King Henry IV of Castile, nicknamed “the Impotent,” impatiently await this legendary horn, as it is said it can cure the King and ensure the continuation of the royal line…

The Dream of Jerusalem

France, 1076. Hermance Languedolce, a child with miraculous healing powers, falls in with religious rebels and is branded a heretic. Hideously tortured, he summons a miracle and saves himself, only to be taken in by kind gypsies. When fearsome warrior Karlis Oresund is converted to Christ, he too receives a miraculous ability to sense evil. Entering the service of Bohemond of Taranto, he sets forth on a crusade to the Holy Land, conscripting Hermance by force along the way. Hermance can’t or won’t remember his powers, but can Karlis bring them out of the scarred young man?

Ira Dei

A Norman by the name of Tancred makes landfall in Sicily with a motley international mercenary crew. A figure of mystery and danger, he soon proves himself a fierce blade and a cunning strategist, but why has he come? Revenge on the embattled Lord Harald now besieging Taormina? The fabulous wealth of the Qaids hidden within the city? Why does Tancred travel with a papal legate who calls him Robert? What disgraceful past is he trying desperately to hide? It’s every man for himself in this intrigue of shifting alliances and sudden death, set against the backdrop of Sicily’s Norman conquest.

White Claw

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.

Expedition

When former Roman soldier Marcus Livius is arrested in Egypt, starving and half mad, he is swiftly accused of desertion and murder. He denies the charges and embarks on an incredible tale… His story begins with the discovery of a body surrounded by documents written in an unknown language, as well as spectacular jewels and other items all suggesting the existence of a rich and powerful civilization previously unknown to Rome. Under the orders of Centurion Caius Bracca, Marcus decides to desert, and along with nine other men begins a secret expedition to find this unknown land. What will they discover… and how many will survive?

For the Empire

Glorim Cortis is a military celebrity in the Imperial army. The Empire has conquered many known lands, but not yet any unknown. This is the mission entrusted by the emperor to Glorim and his squadron. Once they cross the final frontier of mapped Imperial territories, this group of elites rides their way through a series of intense emotions spanning from doubt to fear. One thing is for sure: as the new map’s outlines slowly take shape, their expedition will lead to things that none of them were expecting,

Alcyon

Sycion, the jewel of ancient Greece, at the time of tyrants and myths… In order to right a wrong that threatens their tribes and fathers, Alcyon and Phoebe, two troublemaking friends, depart in search of Harmony’s necklace, a legendary item forged by the god Hephaestus himself. Joined by Kyrilos, a young Spartan out to prove himself, their adventures in this world will be long, dangerous, and epic.

Asgard

A monstrous sea serpent is terrorizing the Fjördland, destroying one fishing boat after another, eating all on board, and keeping the Vikings from going on their pillaging expeditions. All hope seems lost until a stranger with a dark past and a score to settle with the gods shows up and offers to hunt down and slay the Krökken for a thousand silver talents. Soon a ragtag group of would-be monster hunters boards a drak and, against a divine, ominous Nordic background of lakes and mist and mountains, sets sail on a perilous mission not all will survive.

Sweet Konkrete

Header image: Expedition © Marcelo Frusin, Richard Marazano / Dargaud

Alcyon

Sycion, the jewel of ancient Greece, at the time of tyrants and myths… In order to right a wrong that threatens their tribes and fathers, Alcyon and Phoebe, two troublemaking friends, depart in search of Harmony’s necklace, a legendary item forged by the god Hephaestus himself. Joined by Kyrilos, a young Spartan out to prove himself, their adventures in this world will be long, dangerous, and epic.

Cassio

Rome, 145 CE: Cassio, a prominent lawyer who once saved the Emperor’s life, wakes in the night to noises. Four assassins have entered his villa and overpowered his formidable slave, the warrior Alva. He seems to know them, and knows why they have come… Ephesus, present day: archeologist Ornella Grazzi finds a ruin with a fresco of Cassio’s face. The papyrus scrolls inside tell the beginning of a story she has long suspected and been searching for clues to all her life: how Cassio survived his own assassination and came back from the dead for vengeance…

Gloria Victis

There was a time when certain mortals could become gods. At this time, two thousand years ago, men would pass into legend by risking their lives to entertain the crowds; famous charioteers who, perched on their chariots like Apollo, would fight for their lives and their honor in the arena. This is the story of one of those heroes: Aelio Hermeros, perhaps one of the greates chariot riders of all time. He was a mortal immortalized in the memory of those who saw him compete, who witnessed his defeats, his victories, his blood spilled and, most of all, his glory.

The Eagles of Rome

The strategic general Drusus is entrusted with the mission of bringing the indomitable barbarians of Germania under the Roman Empire’s control. Once the battle is won, Prince Sigmar offers his son, Arminius, as a hostage to the Romans. Caesar consigns the education of the young barbarian to one of his most trusted companions, Titus Valerius Falco. Titus has a son of the same age as Arminius, an unruly young man called Marcus, also in need of an education worthy of his name. Together, these two budding soldiers go through full training, and are time and again subjected to the steely discipline and harsh tests of their tutor, an ex-legionary. Through these trying experiences, the insolent young Roman and the hot-headed German gradually transform their reciprocal hatred into a strong friendship… especially as they begin to discover the irresistible charms of their various female contemporaries…

Maxentius

The year 532. Justinian rules over the Eastern Roman Empire, his wife and most maleficent ally, Theodora, at his side. From his capital of Constantinople, he dreams of restoring the empire to the splendor of Ancient Rome in the time of the Caesars. But during the month of January, following an accident during a chariot race in the Hippodrome, Constantinople is set ablaze. Now everything hangs in the balance: the throne, the imperial couple, the empire… Maxentius, an animal trainer and the empress’s assistant, has just a few hours to save centuries of history. A few hours during the Nika revolt, supposedly the bloodiest massacre in antiquity…

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.

Murena

It’s stinking hot, and the crowd is beginning to lose interest in the last few gladiators still fighting for survival in the arena. Only the Emperor Claudius is still riveted, determined to stick it out until the death rattle of the last fighter announces the end of the day’s frivolities. Life is just as ferocious outside the arena. Everyone wants the power; everyone is willing to kill to get itFor Agrippina, Claudius’ second wife, her dear husband has served his purpose. Now that he has acknowledged her son, Nero, as his heir, it’s high time he disappeared. But Agrippina has time against her: there’s talk of Claudius wanting to renounce her in favor of the woman he loves, Lolia Paulina. Needless to say, it doesn’t end well for poor Lolia…

Pygmalion and the Ivory Virgin

Scriptwriter Yann (full name Yann Le Pennetier) has established himself as one of today’s most prominent writers. He has authored the striking historical fiction series Pin-Up (Dargaud 1994, Europe Comics 2017), alongside artist Philippe Berthet, and later partnered with the legendary André Juillard for Mezek (Le Lombard 2011, Europe Comics 2016), a fast-moving drama about mercenary fighters at the dawn of the Israeli state. Starting in 2011, Yann also contributed his writing talents to the legendary series Thorgal, giving rise to the sub-series Louve and, a few years later, Thorgal – The Early Years (Le Lombard; Europe Comics in English), in tandem with artist Roman Surzhenko. In 2018, Yann teamed up with Juillard again for Double 7 (Dargaud), set during the Spanish Civil War.

Pin-Up

It’s 1943 and all-American Joe is heading off to fight the Japanese. His distraught fiancé Dottie Partington is fired from her job as a movie usher, and a friend helps her find employment at the Yoyo Club, a cabaret favored by soon-to-be-deployed US Air Force personnel. In the meantime, Joe is marooned on an atoll in the South Pacific, where he experiences firsthand the terror of war, and encounters a motley crew of fictional and real-life characters. Back in the States, famed cartoonist Milton approaches Dottie and uses her as the model for his new comic strip, “Poison Ivy,” which centers on the adventures of a patriotic vamp capable of making soldiers “forget their girlfriends back home.” The strip is a runaway success and kindles the fantasies of GIs across the globe, eventually reaching even Joe.

Atom Agency

Atom Vercorian is trying to make it as a private detective in post-war Paris, and he just needs that one big case to make a name for himself. His father, a police detective, isn’t making any headway in the case of a jewelry theft in the south of France. Atom, however, gets a lead that takes him and his partners, Mimi and Jojo, south to Marseille, where they meet ex-resistance fighters, gangsters, and henchmen. With audacity and enthusiasm, Atom and his cohorts dance their way through the worlds of organized crime, pro wrestling, and the ultra-rich in the pursuit of Miss France 1930’s stolen jewels. This could be Atom’s big break—if he survives the experience!

Double 7

The Spanish Civil War attracted involvement from a wide variety of governments, individuals and political factions, with Italians, Germans, and North Africans helping Franco and his supporters, and the Soviet Union, Mexico, and international brigades aiding the Republicans. Dusting off a little‐known and often forgotten chapter of history, the authors take us back to this remarkable and terrible period of war as only they can, with a tale full of scheming intrigues. The world they uncover is one of no‐holds‐barred plotting to obtain victory at whatever the cost. And in the midst of the backstabbings and despair, one young Russian pilot falls in love with a feisty Spanish freedomfighter. In the hope it will outlast the bitter conflict engulfing them all.

The World of Thorgal: The Early Years

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…

Mezek

1948. The creation of the Hebrew state is proving to be not exactly a peaceful affair, starting with the Egyptian bombs that are regularly falling on Tel-Aviv. All that Israel has to fight the lethal enemy ‘Spitfires’ are some old ‘Mezek’, flown by Jewish volunteers from all over the world, but also mercenaries from rather more sinister backgrounds. Bjorn is one of those mercenaries. He’s come to risk his life for several million dollars, a fact that galls his brothers-in-arms, who are fighting not for cash but for their ideals!

Theodore Poussin

Former shipping company clerk turned adventurer Theodore Poussin arrives on the oyster farming island of Long Andju in Malaysia looking for a mysterious woman who has gone missing. She disappeared during a bloody coup d’etat in which her father lost control of the land. A contaminated oyster reef has rendered the last pearl harvest worthless, and tensions are rising on the small island, as pirates, sailors, assassins, rajahs, foreign businessmen, diplomats, and amorous youths all scheme to get what they want, be it power, gold, pearls, or the affection of their heart’s desire. The mysterious Mr. November is once again along for the ride, in a tale dripping with the mood and humidity of its tropical colonial setting.

Anastasia

1926. A mother and her young daughter come to Los Angeles. The mother is chasing her dream: she wants to conquer Hollywood, no matter the cost. Her little girl, Anastasia, is the perfect candidate to be cinema’s next big star. But can she stand the pressure? The clash of dreams and the dirty reality of show business is a heavy burden to bear, as Anastasia comes face to face with the crime, abuse, and murky secrets of an all-powerful industry. A story that calls into question the so-called golden era of Hollywood, when the “dream factory” resembled a Byzantine empire, above the law and fed by vanity and greed.

Hell of an Innocent

When unassuming candy store owner Ike Hopper dies of a heart attack, he leaves behind a bombshell that rocks his small Australian town. His confession of guilt to a 27-year old murder—the savage stabbing of local girl Lee Duncan—brings his brother Greg, accused of the crime, out of the bush where he’s been hiding. But Greg, returning to his hometown of Dubbo to tie up loose ends, finds not all ghosts go quietly to the grave. For instance, he seems to see his ex-wife Lee taunting him wherever he wanders… A hard-hitting, guilt-ridden, sun-drenched slice of outback noir.

Bearskin

“Bearskin” takes us on a trip to modern day Italy and then all the way to the United States of the late 1930s. Every day, Amadeo bikes up the hill from his small hometown on a beautiful island off the coast of Italy to read the daily horoscope to Don Palermo. Little does he know that this blind and powerless old man with a cane in his hand used to be a bear tamer, not to mention his later shenanigans as the right-hand man of a powerful mafia boss. A highly moving story of love, vengeance and cowardice.

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…

In Search of Peter Pan

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.

Jerome K. Jerome Bloche

A young woman, who doesn’t speak a word of English, shows up in Father Arthur’s church seeking refuge. Father Arthur takes her under his wing, but things soon take a turn for the worse when her pursuers show up on his doorstep. It’s not long before the padre, concerned for his kidnapped protegée’s well-being, calls on his friend Jerome Bloche. Together, they seek out the mysterious Aina and her captors, but they soon realize that not only are they up against a rather intimidating security guard, but some difficult moral questions.

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.

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.

Rose

Ever since she was a little girl, Rose has had a special and troubling power: the ability to “double” herself and travel outside her body. She always saw it as something wrong with her… until now. When her father is murdered, Rose’s strange ability gives her a chance to find her father’s killer, solve a series of mysterious cold cases, and untangle a centuries-old curse. But maybe some secrets should stay buried…

Snitches Anonymous

When your old man’s a police captain, it can make for some lonely evenings at home! Tom would know. But when the investigation his father is working on implicates Fabian, one of the hall monitors at his middle school, Tom decides to find out for himself what’s going on. With his best friend Lilia by his side, he sets out to catch the bad guys. They suddenly find themselves trailing suspects, following clues, going undercover, and even getting into high-speed chases! The only thing is they have to do it all in absolute secrecy, so that Tom’s father doesn’t suspect their involvement. To do so, they’ll have to become real-life anonymous informers. But just where will all of this lead?

The Keeper

Vince’s latest mission takes him to Malta. His job is to ensure the safety of the archeologists and art buyers for the Vatican. His daring and efficiency have won him many a great success, and some renown in his sector. And now he’s being offered a promotion. From now on, he’ll be part one of the Janitores, otherwise known as “The Keepers”. The Keepers are an elite group created by the secret services of the pontifical state, who’s life work is to protect the Vatican from those members who might give in to temptation. And so a new life begins…

The Revenge of Count Skarbek

1843, Paris. A sensational trial stuns the art world and has the streets of the capital buzzing. Is the famous art dealer Daniel Northbrook nothing but a swindler? Count Skarbek, a rich Polish businessman, will do everything he can to prove it. A gripping romantic thriller and a poignant story of love, hatred, passion, and revenge in the vein of the great popular fiction by Hugo and Dumas.

The World Book of Records

Egg-balancing, hotdog-eating, baton-twirling—these are a few of the records people try to break in order to find themselves included in the World Book of Records. For those who make into the book, Paul Baron, a judge at the publication, is a hero. For others, whose dreams he denies, he’s a villain. After one man’s plan to achieve renown is destroyed, Paul learns that the man may have lost everything else, but he hasn’t lost hope—the hope of joining other record-breakers in the book. But the record the man hopes to break is terrible, and Paul unfortunately has a role in his project.

Roots of Chaos

March 1953. Alexander is walking through the streets of London with a bomb in his hand. It is destined for Marshal Tito, during his controversial visit to Great Britain. Alexander’s story began several months earlier, when his mother was struck by a car and instantly killed. Trying to understand why and how his mother, who was in an institution for senile elderly people, wound up so far from her home, Alexander finds himself caught up in a spiral of terror involving the British secret service, strange Serbian nationalists, and the island of Majorca… all of which culminate, several months later, with Alexander finding himself on the bank of the Thames, holding a bag with a bomb in it…

Cassio

Rome, 145 CE: Cassio, a prominent lawyer who once saved the Emperor’s life, wakes in the night to noises. Four assassins have entered his villa and overpowered his formidable slave, the warrior Alva. He seems to know them, and knows why they have come… Ephesus, present day: archeologist Ornella Grazzi finds a ruin with a fresco of Cassio’s face. The papyrus scrolls inside tell the beginning of a story she has long suspected and been searching for clues to all her life: how Cassio survived his own assassination and came back from the dead for vengeance…

Through Lya’s Eyes

The day before her seventeenth birthday, Lya’s life changed forever. Hit by a speeding car and left for dead, she lost the use of her legs as well as some of her faith in the world… Lya learned to live again with the support of her parents. But having discovered that someone bought their silence, Lya is determined to unmask the perpetrator and obtain justice. Her search for the truth takes her to a famous law firm… and down a dangerous path. With the help of her friend Antoine, she’ll stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it all…

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.

Hardy Agency

Edith Hardy runs a small detective agency off an unassuming alley in the 13th arrondissement. It’s the 1950s, and foreign forces are busy vying for power in a Paris still recovering from World War II. Edith has a good heart and a missing husband, and her attempts to do right by her small world get her caught up in far larger, darker affairs. A classic Pierre Christin script—a strong sense of place and history, humane leftist sympathies—combines with Annie Goetzinger’s indelible artwork to deliver a stylish mystery for fans of classy whodunits.

Hell School

Starting a new school is daunting at the best of times, but for Bastien, Hina, and Boris, their first year at the Institute of Excellence is going to be downright terrifying. New students at the ultra-elite private school are subjected to the “ritual”—weeks of hazing by the seniors—and if they refuse to take part, they are branded “bastards” for life and can say goodbye to any kind of social life. But something even more sinister is going on behind the scenes… Who is the mysterious benefactor paying Bastien’s tuition, what is the principal hiding, and what are the real circumstances behind the deaths of former “bastard” alumni?

One

Julian Lethercore can read minds. Well, actually, what he reads are molecules, borne on saliva and other bodily fluids, with which he can access a person’s memories, the secrets of their very lives and identities. He’s also the result of a top secret military experiment gone wrong. He and the four other “bloodcogs” serve their master, Senator Pershing, a former warhawk now disgraced under a new administration headed by President Harmond. But Harmond may be gunning for more than the Senator’s reputation. He may be out for all the bloodcogs—and it’s up to Julian to find out.

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…

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.

A Lapse in Judgement

Any resemblance to persons living or dead or actual events would be strangely coincidental… In a town in the east of France, Sylvestre Ruppert-Levansky, a president of the circuit court, begins his last trial, in the same place his career began. Everything here reminds him of Rachel, his first love, and most of all, Mathilde, a manipulative, diabolic serial killer. The old magistrate has a spotless reputation. He is considered tolerant and fair. But then a police officer from his past asks to see him. Perhaps the legend of Sylvestre, the eminent judge, isn’t so cut and dry… In a gripping tale full of surprises, Denis Robert and Franck Biancarelli reinvent the thriller.

Biotope

A police captain and his two detectives arrive on Biotope, a distant planet on which a scientific base has been erected, to investigate a murder-suicide. They soon realize that all is not right on this self-sustaining base and that the scientists, some of whom are downright hostile towards them, aren’t telling them everything. A sci-fi thriller dripping with mood and atmosphere, in which the mounting tension is palpable and the jungle that lies beyond the glass walls of their claustrophobic interior is dense, oppressive and full of deadly secrets…

Sweet Konkrete

Header image: Rose © Denis Lapière, Émilie Alibert & Valérie Vernay / Dupuis

Cigarettes: A Filterless Report

Arguably humanity’s most deadly invention—responsible for 100 million deaths in the 20th century—the cigarette continues to kill. Half of all smokers die of a smoking-related illness, and more than a billion people currently smoke. “Cigarettes” tells the story of the tobacco industry’s cynical efforts to impose this danger on as many people—or victims—as possible, with a single purpose in mind: shareholder profits. Always frank in delivering its meticulously-documented message, “Cigarettes” should make the tobacco industry tremble more than a nicotine-deprived smoker.

Clara

There are some things that a child should never have to endure, but life can be cruel sometimes. Clara is only seven years old when she loses her mother to cancer. Before she passes away, Clara’s mother gives her a doll from the days of her own childhood. Clara doesn’t particularly like the doll at first, but it’ll prove to be a precious ally, accompanying little Clara along the rough road of grief and mourning, through all its stages.

John

Almost everyone makes it to fifty these days. And so did John. When his daughters give him a ticket to Rome, he decides it’s time to conquer his fear of flying once and for all. But on the plane home he loses consciousness, and in the hospital he gets devastating news: he has colon cancer. What follows is a roller coaster of emotions, with ups and downs and newfound love… helping John realize just how much life is worth fighting for.

Sour Apple

By all appearances they are a happy couple. Married, religious, hardworking. What happens behind closed doors, however, is a secret, even to those closest to them. “Kwaśne jabłko” (Sour Apple), written by Jerzy Szyłak and illustrated by Joanna Karpowicz, tells a story of domestic abuse, a story of a victim and persecutor. This story of violence spiraling out of control brings no hope, instead playing on emotions and powerful illustrations, painted with acrylic on canvas-textured paper, to create a unique atmosphere of horror. It is violence as seen by a painter. In truth, no one would like to hear this kind of story, and yet such stories are told, and need to be told. They need to be told because they happen to real people, be they old or young, educated or uneducated, pious or atheist. None of these people wants to take a bite from the sour apple in the basket. However, it happens to some. That is why such stories must be told.

Gaia Blues

Gaia is the ancient name of our Earth, a place now endangered by growing human pollution. A family of polar bears is about to discover what are the effects of this situation, in a story told entirely with no words.

Aldo

Aldo has been twenty-eight for three hundred years. Despite his long life, he still hasn’t developed very good social skills. His whole family has been dead now for a long while, and nobody believes he is immortal. As a result, he leads a lonely existence. He is afraid to love anything or anyone, except for his beautiful Alfa Romeo and his little pug Gustav. When he tries to seek professional help, there too the truth seems too absurd for words. But then he spots someone on television and recognizes him from an encounter two hundred years ago. And he decides to visit the man to get some answers.

Header image: Gaia Blues © Gud / Tunue

A Real Job

Javi has left Spain for Berlin. He doesn’t speak German and hardly knows anyone there. He wants to be a comic book artist, but all his friends advise him to find a real job. He desperately needs to believe in himself, and to be believed. Burning with the desire to leave his mark, yet patient like any professional observer, Javi tells the story of his world, which becomes his first comic.

Irons

Meet Jack Irons. He’s a cold son-of-a-bitch, but he’s got a gift. He can look at a disaster—a fallen bridge, a collapsed skyscraper—and see everything: the physics, the material stresses, the behind-the-scenes insight into how it all went wrong, claiming lives and property. Makes sense: he’s a structural engineer. And when he applies his brilliant, analytical mind to crimefighting, then the truth will out. Because that’s what he cares about. Not people. Not feelings. The truth. And the truth is about to turn a little Canadian fishing village upside down…

Jazz Club

Norman was a talented sax player in his heyday, until he lost his musical gift seemingly overnight and fled to France. Over thirty years later, with the millennium approaching, he finds himself confronting unresolved questions, a former lover, and diehard fans who have taken obsession to a new level…

Jerome K. Jerome Bloche

Private detective Jerome K. Jerome Bloche is hired by his friend Father Arthur, a former boxer turned Catholic priest, to look into a series of blackmail letters extorting money from his parishioners that share one odd detail: the money is to be donated to the church to repair its famous organ! Meanwhile Jerome’s girlfriend Babette gets a shocking surprise when her father, whom she believed to have died when she was a child, shows up on her doorstep. Jerome tries to solve the crime while juggling prickly questions about charity, justice, and mercy.

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.

Motorcity

Lisa Forsberg is a rookie cop who has just taken her first assignment in the small Swedish city where she was born. In her youth she was a troublemaker, part of a hard-living subculture called “raggare” who worship American rock’n’roll and vintage cars from the 1950s. Now Lisa finds herself thrown back into this world when she is sent to investigate a missing person report involving people she went to school with. She and her partner, Erik Lund, will uncover secrets that put them in harm’s way and bring them face-to-face with the unspeakable.

The Keeper

Vince’s latest mission takes him to Malta. His job is to ensure the safety of the archeologists and art buyers for the Vatican. His daring and efficiency have won him many a great success, and some renown in his sector. And now he’s being offered a promotion. From now on, he’ll be part one of the Janitores, otherwise known as “The Keepers”. The Keepers are an elite group created by the secret services of the pontifical state, who’s life work is to protect the Vatican from those members who might give in to temptation. And so a new life begins.

The Master Chocolatier

Alex Carret is a talented young Brussels chocolatier whose life takes a drastic turn when he quits his job and agrees to partner with a friend of a friend named Ben. He’s a little wary of him at first, but when Ben comes up with a business plan, a space, a brilliant branding idea, and a 100,000-euro loan, Alex can’t resist the temptation of seeing his lifelong dream come true. Soon he and his team are selecting the finest chocolate from countries around the world and throwing a launch party, which is a smash success. But will that put them in the crosshairs of other local power brokers?

The Defender

Meet Leo Sully-Darmon, a hot-shot photogenic criminal defense attorney who takes on cases nobody else will touch. Leo loves a good cause just as much as he loves a good photo-op, and he happens to excel at both. But when he agrees to represent a woman accused of crimes against humanity during her former life as an officer in an Iraqi detention camp, he may have bitten off more than he can chew, as antagonistic forces conspire to cast doubt on his client’s innocence and start digging up dirt on his own life… complete with dark secrets from both the past and the present.

Hedge Fund

Frank Carvale is arrogant, ambitious, and willing to do anything it takes to get ahead. He’s clever, too, but maybe not as clever as he thinks. A chance meeting with a magnate in Hong Kong could either be the big break he needs—or the biggest mistake of his life. A financial thriller set at the heart of the international economic crisis.

Tanz!

Germany, April 1957. Uli has a dream: to become a famous Broadway dancer. But as a modern dance student at the prestigious Folkwang school, Uli’s energetic and outgoing personality stands out in sharp contrast to the melancholy of post-war Europe. During a trip to Berlin, he meets Anthony, a young American dancer. The attraction is immediate. Anthony convinces Uli to come to New York and try his luck on Broadway. The young men part ways, but Uli will pack his bags and embark on an adventure that will take him to a new life overflowing with life, color, and movement — but also disappointment, harsh reality, and a good dose of heartbreak.

Header image: The Defender © Laurent Galandon / Frank Giroud / Frédéric Volante / Le Lombard