To mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, we’ve put together the most striking stories set during WWI and WWII from the Europe Comics collection.

The Folies Bergère

We’re right in the middle of World War I, deep in the trenches. The soldiers are confronted by unimaginable suffering and violent death on a daily basis. Considered as nothing more than cannon fodder by their superiors, they try desperately to survive. Partly as an act of defiance in the face of hardship, partly as the ultimate irony, the soldiers nickname their regiment after the famous Parisian cabaret club ‘Folies Bergère’. They laugh and joke, they write, they draw, they fight, they die in appalling circumstances, they kill themselves, they lose their minds. And then one of their number is sentenced to death by firing squad… and miraculously survives…

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!

The Jewish Brigade

For this first installment of “The Jewish Brigade” we find ourselves in 1945 Poland. Leslie and Ari, two British soldiers, carry out an ambush near a church. They’re looking for a priest… that Leslie then kills. He was an SS agent. The two men get back on the road; other missions await. Marvano takes us through the ranks of one of the least known divisions of the British army.

Vice Squad

It is the winter of 1937, and Aimé Louzeau lives with his mother and their servant. One day, he goes to the Quai des Orfèvres, the police prefecture of Paris, to speak with the vice squad. He currently works in the Criminal Investigation department, but crimes of passion and back alley stabbings really aren’t his thing, so he requests a transfer from Chief Inspector Séverin. The atmosphere immediately darkens, as Louzeau is thrown straight into the interrogation of a pimp called Guapito and his prostitute.

The Reprieve

June 1943. Julien Sarlat jumps from the train transporting him to Germany and manages to get back to his small village in the Aveyron, Cambeyrac, where he hides, without the villagers’ knowledge, to await the end of the hostilities. In a strange turn of fate, the train that he was on is bombed, and one of the corpses is identified as his. In the eyes of society, he is now dead. Taking advantage of this unexpected situation, he hides away in the attic of his old school teacher, who was arrested by the French Gestapo for suspected communist leanings. From that moment on Julien, from his observatory overlooking the village square, is the spectator of this everyday theater of ordinary people going about their business. Love, hatred, envy, cowardice, passion and heroism: the onlooker sees the most.

The 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.

The Wolves of La Louvière 

Belgium, 1940. The German army is spreading across Europe, and tiny Belgium is conquered in 18 days. During the four long years of the Nazi occupation, the women of La Louvière have to figure out some way to stay alive, to live their lives, and to keep up hope. Their world is drawn through teenage Marcelle’s journal: What does she do? How do her family members endure? Which women in town collaborate with the occupying forces, and which women choose to fight? As always in wartime, the women take over for the absent men and keep their world spinning.

Black Cotton Star

Philadelphia, 1776: George Washington asks Betsy Ross to design the first flag of the future United States of America. Her housemaid, Angela Brown, adds to it a secret tribute to the black community: a black cotton star that she slips under one of the white stars. Dover, 1944: A soldier named Lincoln receives a letter that reveals Angela Brown’s memoirs. Does the star that she mentions truly exist? In light of this revelation, three African-American soldiers set out on a dangerous mission, ranging from liberated Paris to the snow-covered Ardennes, seeking answers, and the ultimate prize…

Spirou: The Diary of a Naive Young Man

Summer 1939, Brussels. The orphaned teenager Spirou is working as a bellboy at a fancy hotel, living in a small apartment with his pet squirrel, Spip, and taking his first steps into the land of romance with a girl whose name he doesn’t even know. Meanwhile, the world is rushing headlong towards war. Conflict is not inevitable, however, as Polish diplomats have agreed to meet the Nazis at Spirou’s hotel in a last-ditch effort to prevent war. Communist spies, Nazi ambitions, and ridiculous reporters can’t stop Spirou’s naïve mind from outsmarting them all—and possibly saving the world! If only he can get a little help.

Operation Copperhead

Adventure, drama, spies, secrets, and even a dash of romance. This extraordinary story tells the tale of two movie stars being pulled into the intrigue of counterintelligence and disinformation campaigns during World War II. Churchill is looking for someone to impersonate Britain’s top general, and it’s up to David Niven and Peter Ustinov to train the lucky lad. They’re in a race against the clock and a battle against all the usual vices—wine and women included—to turn a second-rate actor into General Montgomery in this uproarious and award-winning graphic novel, where the truth might be stranger than fiction.

Reading the Ruins

Is every man killed in combat reborn in the sky in the form of a star? Is seeing a bus in your dreams really a sign of impending death? In 1917, Jan Van Meer, an operative with the Allies’ intelligence services and a renowned expert on folklore, travels across Europe in search of an engineer named Hellequin, inventor of the dream cannon and barbed plant-wire now obsessed with reading the ruins of war. Van Meer’s mission: not to find Hellequin at all costs. With his trademark wit, original drawing style, and wild animation, David B. takes viewers deep into the torment of the Great War, where beliefs and superstitions inextricably mix with the horror of reality.

The Photographer of Mauthausen

This is a dramatic retelling of true events in the life of Francisco Boix, a Spanish press photographer and communist who fled to France at the beginning of World War II. But there, he found himself handed over by the French to the Nazis, who sent him to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp, where he spent the war among thousands of other Spaniards and other prisoners. More than half of them would lose their lives there. Through an odd turn of events, Boix finds himself the confidant of an SS officer who is documenting prisoner deaths at the camp. Boix realizes that he has a chance to prove Nazi war crimes by stealing the negatives of these perverse photos—but only at the risk of his own life, that of a young Spanish boy he has sworn to protect, and, indeed, that of every prisoner in the camp.

Wings of War: Eagle

The son of a hero from the Great War who made his fortune in the steel industry, James O’Brady is destined for a great career in politics. When his father is appointed ambassador to Germany, James goes with him, to get an inside of view of the geopolitical landscape in the mid-1930s. But James follows his own path… which is destined to cross that of a young German fighter pilot.

Wings of War: Adler

Hans Raeder lost both his father and his younger brother in 1918. To cope with the pain he, like Germany itself, takes refuge in fantasies—not only the fantasies of others, but also those of his own creation. In a country rebuilding itself on myths and deception, Hans is prepared to do anything to become the idol he worships: a fighter pilot… even if it means turning into a Nazi monster. What he doesn’t realize is that his destiny is linked to another young pilot, on the other side of the Atlantic…

Swan Song

1917. Nivelle “The Butcher” commands the French Army, and the attacks he keeps ordering are pointless slaughters. The soldiers can’t take it anymore. Discontent is turning into rebellion, and a petition begins to circulate in secret. When it makes its way to the men of Sergeant Sabiane, they see an opportunity, and what started as a simple cry of defiance becomes a full-blown mutiny when a handful of them decide to take the petition to Paris…

Children of The Resistance

On May 10th, 1940, Nazi Germany attacked France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Their advance was swift, and led to the fall of France just six weeks later. In the fictional French village of Pontain-L’Écluse, 13-year-old François is shocked to see his fellow villagers—and even some of his family members—accept this occupation and submit to the laws and behavior of the German invaders. Determined to thwart the enemy, he enlists his friend Eusèbe to help sabotage the Nazis and motivate his village to unite against them. A fascinating tale of the Resistance and of actions taken by its youngest activitsts, inspired by true stories.

The Lions of Leningrad

On January 27, 1962, a concert at the Maly Theatre in Leningrad is interrupted by a gunshot and an ex-state prisoner is arrested. At the police station, the mysterious gunman recalls the early summer of 1941… When the German army begins its invasion of Soviet Russia, four children are evacuated to the countryside: Maxim, the son of a senior Communist Party official; Pyotr, the son of writers; Anka, the daughter of a concert violinist; and Grigory, the son of a pilot that was executed for insubordination. The farm where they are staying is attacked and the train that is supposed to take them to safety is blown to bits by German planes. The four children must find their way back to Leningrad through enemy lines. This adventure will test their friendship to the limit…

Spirou – Hope Against All Odds

It seemed inevitable that Europe would once again be in the dark clutches of war, and now that conflict has broken out, Spirou must face its horrible reality while staying true to himself. He does his best to maintain his friendship with Fantasio, even as the latter enlists in the Belgian army. And when Spirou meets Felix, a German‐Jewish painter, his eyes are opened to the plight of the Jewish people and the dangerous situation in Europe and beyond. On top of all that, Spirou’s girlfriend Kassandra has been lost in the confusion of the war. In the first of four volumes, the orphan bellhop’s adventures will take him all across war-torn Belgium, discovering the world as it falls apart around him.

The Aviator 

1917, East Africa. A German pastor—also a doctor, and married to a Frenchwoman—teaches his son Josef to fly the Albatros biplane he uses to visit his rural patients. But the war raging in Europe has spread to Africa, where the Allies are fighting the Germans in their various colonies. Against this backdrop—and strictly against his father’s wishes—Josef dreams of flying the nest, and makes a decision that will have terrible consequences…

Hibashuka

1917, East Africa. A German pastor—also a doctor, and married to a Frenchwoman—teaches his son Josef to fly the Albatros biplane he uses to visit his rural patients. But the war raging in Europe has spread to Africa, where the Allies are fighting the Germans in their various colonies. Against this backdrop—and strictly against his father’s wishes—Josef dreams of flying the nest, and makes a decision that will have terrible consequences…

Header image: The Folies Bergère © Zidrou / Francis Porcel / Dargaud

With clear, linear drawing and sharp framing, Philippe Berthet posses one of the most distinctive styles among the Europe Comics creators.

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.

Perico

Joaquin is an ambitious young casino worker in Havana during the final days before Fidel Castro’s coup to overthrow the corrupt Cuban government. Against this tense political backdrop, Joaquin finds himself holding a briefcase full of cash belonging to his gangster boss, stolen by Joaquin’s own brother, a guerrilla working for the revolution. When he learns that a young woman he has taken a liking to will be prostituted by his boss to none other than President Batista, he convinces her to flee with him — and the stolen money — to the United States, where they buy a car and head across the country, with the Cuban mafia hot on their trail.

A 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.

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 Art of Dying

Philippe Martin, a Paris cop, is called to Barcelona to look into the suspicious suicide of a girl who might be his daughter. Barcelona is a charged place for Martin—he’s been visiting every summer for the 25 years since the girl’s mother left him and fled there. His investigations lead him into a labyrinth of criminal activity stretching from the most violent depths of Barcelona’s society to its wealthiest families. Taunted by a particularly vicious and wily opponent, the stakes of Martin’s investigation are not only justice but his very soul.

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.

Header image: Pin-Up © Yann / Philippe Berthet / Dargaud

Crime comics might have gone through a fair share of controversy as the genre developed during the 20th century, but it does not look like their popularity suffered one bit! With an edge-of-your-seat narrative, and non-stop action, this is perhaps one of the most beloved genres in comics! So here is our list of some of the most thrilling crime comics from Europe. And don’t miss out on our Crime Graphic Novel Special this week!!!

A 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.

Bandit

Based on the life and crimes of François Troukens, “Bandit” delves into the former armed robber’s childhood and early criminal acts, recounts some of his most famous and audacious heists and the life on the run that followed, and shows how even a Public Enemy Number One can change his ways and embark on the path towards redemption.

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.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is making giant strides throughout the world. Satoshi Nakamoto, its creator, continues as an enigmatic and cryptographic figure. Nonetheless, rumors surrounding his potential wealth have not gone unnoticed by the mafi a. He has also popped ups or the radar of the secret services. In fact, NSA agents have been searching for him for some time now. The opportunities that this crypto-currency has opened up within the fi nancial markets have turned Nakamoto into a hero admired in more and more places near and far. His fans would go to great lengths to protect and defend him. For many, simply managing monetary transactions and issuing bitcoins without the involvement of intermediaries as well as carrying out transactions collectively online are factors which promote values for a freer world: In hope for a better world.

Blacksad

Get ready for a true masterpiece! This is the story of a private detective seeking revenge for the death of his assassinated ex-girlfriend. A stunning thriller, enhanced by a wonderfully detailed drawing style, with characters in the form of the animals that best reflect the nuances of their personalities. Dark, daring, engaging, this is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most successful comic book series.

Clan

Saburo is an ambitious young yakuza who provokes a war between rival factions in an attempt to overthrow the Oyabun Kodama, Tokyo’s gang boss. But the sly old devil won’t give up without a fight! Hoping to have Saburo killed, he orders Shi’s release from prison, something the old blind warrior has been waiting thirty years for. Thirty years cut off from the rest of the world, unaware of the betrayal that sealed his fate. Sometimes, all that separates family and business is the width of a blade…

Jêrome K. Jêrome 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.

The Client

An average Joe falls in love with a hooker from Ecuador and, when she goes missing, pressures a local mobster into telling him where she is by kidnapping his only daughter… What could possibly go wrong? A story about second chances, with a buddy road trip and musings on art and beauty thrown in for good measure.

Noir

An absorbing family drama depicted in dark artwork. Robert Boganiec is a writer. His crime stories are always perfectly narrated, and the heroes of this books consequently do what they should. But as he discovers his wife’s unfaithfullness, he does not hesitate to do what must be done…

The Mandelberg Circuit

A suspense thriller from Denis Robert and Franck Biancarelli that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. How can an old, ill, rich man become immortal? By transplanting his brain into the body of a young athlete being pursued by the Mafia…

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.

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.

Interpol

Interpol, a police series, is based on real international investigations, and evokes the tone as well as the structure of the most renowned suspense series on television, such as “CSI” and “NCIS.”
Each volume highlights a different location, where an Interpol investigator is sent and assigned to collaborate with local police forces to complete their mission.  The artists and writers are chosen for their origins or their specific knowledge of the country in question, allowing each episode to be set in its own universe.

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.

Lethal Lullaby

Telenko, a New York taxi driver, spends his days ferrying around the dregs of society in one of the city’s roughest neighborhoods. He has an obsessive fear of dying like a guy he saw in a film, who’d hear his heart stop every 15 beats. Because Telenko himself has a tired heart. He has a minor case of tachycardia and the odd extra systole, not helped by his stressful job and the constant abuse from his wheelchair-bound wife, Martha: “You don’t divorce a wife in a wheelchair, Telenko!” She’ll get what’s coming to her, no doubt. Just like that slut who just got in his taxi who’s fooling around with some other guy right under her decrepit old husband’s nose. So he decides to kill Martha. But you gotta have some guts to kill your wife in cold blood. Especially when she’s got a nasty surprise in store…

Jack Wolfgang

With the invention of Super Mega Tofu, civilization has seen the advent of a fragile peace—between animals and humans, between carnivores and herbivores. This miracle food has the peculiar quality of being universally loved. Jack Wolfgang, the world-renowned restaurant critic, travels the world sampling Super Mega Tofu in all of its varieties. It’s the perfect cover for his second identity: Jack Wolfgang, CIA special agent. When his friend and mentor is killed, Jack picks up the scent of a conspiracy and tracks it half way around the globe. Can society survive this collision of fine dining and espionage?

The Mighty Return of Ric Hochet

Ric Hochet, the famous Parisian newshound, is not himself. He’s wearing a mysterious bandage, he isn’t driving his usual car, and a strange smell is emanating from his apartment… When he’s invited to his old friend Police Commissioner Bourdon’s wedding in the South of France, his infallible memory starts failing and his legendary luck begins to desert him. Then an attempt is made on Bourdon’s life. What’s eating Ric and why would anyone want to murder Bourdon? Clearly, things are not all what they seem—least of all Ric himself.

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?

The Art of Dying

Philippe Martin, a Paris cop, is called to Barcelona to look into the suspicious suicide of a girl who might be his daughter. Barcelona is a charged place for Martin—he’s been visiting every summer for the 25 years since the girl’s mother left him and fled there. His investigations lead him into a labyrinth of criminal activity stretching from the most violent depths of Barcelona’s society to its wealthiest families. Taunted by a particularly vicious and wily opponent, the stakes of Martin’s investigation are not only justice but his very soul.

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.

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.

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…

Synchronic

For Ian Mallory, life as he knew it ended the day his wife was murdered, in an attack that sent him into a coma. Three years later, he’s woken up, with the bullet still lodged inside his brain. Any attempt to remove it will kill him, but that isn’t all: because of the bullet, he feels emotions several hours after they occur. An affliction that may be a gift—at least in the eyes of the NSA.

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.

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…

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.

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…

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!

Bootblack

During the depths of the Great Depression, an orphan reinvents himself as Al Chrysler and strives to win the heart of the local grocer’s daughter. In doing so, he falls in with a newly arrived petty criminal who soon has him and his friends working for the local mafia. As the stakes get higher, Al soon realizes he’s gotten in too deep, and is caught up in a chain of events beyond his control.

Purple Heart

Joshua quit law school to go fight the Nazis in Europe. He was awarded the Purple Heart after he and his buddy were victims of a landmine. No medal on Earth, however, can assuage the trauma of being unable to save your brother-in-arms. Back home in the States, Joshua tries to make up for lost time, with one romantic conquest after another. Working as a private eye in New York, he’s been assigned to a blackmail case that leads him to a world of love nests, Nazi thugs, stolen art, and a whole slew of other dirty deeds. The fighting in Europe may be finished, but for those who survived, the war continues to fester at the core of the Big Apple.

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.

Mop and Monkus : Where is Kiki ?

Mop and Monkus don’t just solve mysteries—they write them! This gumshoe duo, beloved as Tintin or Astérix, has been a fixture of French comics for decades. And now they’re back as Blutch, a leading comics talent of his generation, pays tribute to the adventures he cherished as a child. No sooner stymied by the sudden disappearance of their faithful friend, the Contessa Kiki, than our scripter sleuths find themselves beset by a crooked antiques dealer they thought they’d put behind bars for good. Suspicious inspectors, evil robots, gangsters from around the globe: how will Mop and Monkus ever pull through?

An English Trilogy

I say! If you’re a fan of ghastly weather and mysteries wrapped in tweed, then you’ll be delighted at this complete collection from the classic series “Albany & Sturgess,” enhanced with bonus material and extra British flair. Discover bloody murders and plots that will frazzle your nerves, already frayed by the seemingly never-ending British rain. Rivière and Floc’h present an extraordinary combination of smoke and mirrors, of shadows and ghosts, which provokes in the reader an almost voyeuristic pleasure as it reveals the process of literary creation and its mysterious cocktail of reality and imagination. Spiffing!

Karmela Krimm

Karmela Krimm was the most promising young detective on the Marseille police force until she volunteered to take the fall for an operation that went sideways. When Karmela lost her job and became a private investigator, her ideals went up in smoke along with her badge. Perhaps for the better: in the troubled waters she now navigates, ideals are a dangerous luxury.

Karma City

Karma City is a town of virtue governed by the universal laws of karma and where public interest primes. Emma List, a paleontology researcher, presents herself at the gates of the “white zone” of the capital city. She is authorized entry despite her negative karma level. A few minutes later she has a stroke and dies in a car crash. What initially appears to be a routine case for agents Cooper, Napoli, and Asuka soon transforms into a wide-ranging investigation. For Emma List had moved into the grey zone to pursue proof that pre-karmic societies once existed.

Lena

Who is Lena? What is she up to? Does she even know her mission? Setting out from an East Berlin neighborhood that is home to former dignitaries, she goes about passing out small, innocent-seeming gifts from Budapest to Transylvania to Kiev. She crosses the Danube delta, the Black Sea, Anatolia, and the Aleppo bazaar. Each time, she crosses borders incognito, claiming to have nothing to declare. A journey at once timeless and inextricable from the great issues of our age, “Lena” combines the intimacy dear to André Juillard and Pierre Christin’s predilection for vast geopolitical canvases.

Maggy Garrisson

Even the infamous English rain can’t dampen Maggy Garrisson’s spirits as she walks through the London streets to her first job in two years. The shabby detective agency run by a hopeless, chain-smoking alcoholic might not exactly be her cup of tea, but Maggy’s willing to make concessions. The plot thickens when her boss gets beaten unconscious, and Maggy discovers a wallet full of seemingly trivial objects. But why’s she suddenly attracting all this unwanted attention? Perhaps there’s something in that wallet that’s more than it seems…

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.

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.

The 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.

Wild West

The westward drive of Americans after the Civil War was unstoppable. For some, the vast territory meant new wealth and new opportunities. The ever-progressing railroads made many rich. Whereas others found their fortune selling the flesh of the less fortunate. In a brothel in Omaha, all manner of destinies intersect in a violent collision that many won’t survive. This is the incredible story of Martha Cannary, a young woman who shrugged off what destiny had in store for her and made herself into a legend.

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…

The Man Who Shot Chris Kyle

A former Navy SEAL and Iraq War veteran, Chris Kyle is the most lethal sniper in American military history. His autobiography, American Sniper, was a best-seller in the US. On February 2, 2013, Chris Kyle is killed by another veteran, Eddie Ray Routh. The murder takes place on a shooting range in Stephenville, Texas. But that’s only the beginning of their story.

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 Tiger Awakens

You’ve followed his adventures through the Gold Rush, the building of the Continental Railroad, and the taming of the frontier. Now Chen Long the Chinaman, the triumphant creation of Olivier TaDuc and Serge Le Tendre, is back for his greatest adventure of all: finding out he’s a father. Twenty years after his violent past drove away his true love Ada, the Civil War, prison camp, and opium have left Chen Long a broken-down shell of his former proud self. Can the tiger rise to save his son? A fitting conclusion to an epic series that explores forgotten pockets of western history.

Tyler Cross

Someone hired hitmen to kill Tyler Cross. They didn’t get him, but now his girlfriend’s dead, and he wants to know who paid to have him dead.

Someone else spent the take from his last job, investing it in a shady land deal down in sunny Miami. Tyler Cross just wants his money back, but the D.A.’s goons, Cuban gangsters, Miami developers, a trust-fund junkie, and a secretary with an ex-con boyfriend complicate things.

Bodies will fall when greed and amoral justice face off in an island-hopping game of cold-blooded murder and white-collar crime.

Vertigo

In the cruel, brutal world of the “maras”— Latin American gangs—violence, suffering, and crime batter flesh and are on display on members’ tattooed bodies. Death is the only way out. Initiated into a gang in El Salvador at the age of thirteen, Samuel Santos finds a way to escape a few years later… at an impossibly high price. Now, in Caracas, where he’s found some redemption, Samuel must seize his only chance to regain a part of himself—a part that had been ripped from him fourteen years earlier. Will he finally be able to write a new future over the tattoos from his past?

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.

Header image: Bandit © François Troukens & Alain Bardet / Le Lombard

Manu Larcenet. You utter that name in the corridors of any Franco-Belgian publishing house and practically everyone’s got something to say about it, comic book fans or not. Larcenet is easily one of the most celebrated artists of the 21^stcentury, hailed as a genius by critics, collaborators and comics fans alike. His presence is as regular on prize lists as it is rare at media events. But this is an artist who has come a long way, with a past shrouded in anguish. He has now been involved in the industry as a professional for over 20 years. And he’s proud of what he’s achieved. According to Larcenet, it’s not a question of luck or chance, but simply the fact that his life’s intention has been to get where he is today. Here we present to you some of Manu Larcenet’s  most notable works.

Ordinary Victories

Marco’s left town for the countryside. He’s left his psychologist because he feels he’s doing better. He’s quit his job as a reporter because he’s had enough of photographing corpses. He gets himself a little cottage in the heart of rural France, where he lives with his cat, Adolf. He throws out all his work, and cuts ties with his employer. That night, he has his first panic attack. It’s not long before he meets the lovely Emilie, and also the wise and good-natured old man who lives in the cottage just across the way… but who, it turns out, isn’t exactly what he seems…

Cosmonauts of the Future

It all starts in a school playground, and then it moves to a classroom, where Larcenet’s superb graphic camera zooms in on two ten-year-old kids: Gildas and Martina. The pair of them are ever so slightly obsessed with Sci-fi. To the extent they think they’re surrounded by robots and aliens. As far as they’re concerned, their entire world is made up of false appearances, and they’re soon to be the victims of a huge intergalactic plot! You read, you smile, you snigger. But then suddenly, it’s all turned on its head

Blast

A man – filthy, stinking, alone and obese – is taken in by the police. We don’t yet know what he’s done, or why he’s there. But he’s going to tell us his story. The story of a man who strives to live by his own rules, free from the bounds of socially imposed morality and norms, an ambition inspired by one blinding, ecstatic, vivid moment of ultilmate perfection in life and existence – The Blast. He makes the only choice possible for him after such an experience: he leaves everything behind and sets off to live, really live, in the wild, on his own. This first volume is a homage to the acute beauty of nature, solitude and feeling alive. And to the pain and brutality necessary for this man to find his way to another, purer, more complete level of existence. But is the mysterious ‘Blast’ really what it seems? And so the interrogation begins.

Back to Basics

Aaah, the countryside! Fresh air, green fields, home-grown vegetables… the dream (or the nightmare) of all city-dwellers. Well, this is the tale of when it became Manu Larcenet’s reality. One fine day he and his partner Mariette packed up their urban life and set off for the little village of Ravenelles (population of 89 people, including a pretty baker). When, like Manu, you’ve lived your whole life in a Parisian suburb, the rural life can be quite the shock to the system…

Header image: Blast © Manu Larcenet / Dargaud

In literature, places people live often help to build and develop characters. Perhaps thanks to their wide palette of tools for visual representation, comics and graphic novels tend to have particularly strong senses of place. Here below we present you with a selection of titles where cities not only help to build characters, but become fully-rounded characters of their own.

Paris – Vice Squad

It is the winter of 1937, and Aimé Louzeau lives with his mother and their servant. One day, he goes to the Quai des Orfèvres, the police prefecture of Paris, to speak with the vice squad. He currently works in the Criminal Investigation department, but crimes of passion and back alley stabbings really aren’t his thing, so he requests a transfer from Chief Inspector Séverin. The atmosphere immediately darkens, as Louzeau is thrown straight into the interrogation of a pimp called Guapito and his prostitute.

New York – Giant

March 1932, New York. Dan Shackelton is an Irish migrant. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he has found work on the construction site of the Rockefeller Center. He is to replace Ryan Murphy, a worker who died on the site. Dan works with a quiet, broad-shouldered man named Giant who is in charge of informing Ryan Murphy’s family of the news. But Giant decides not to say anything. Instead, he sends a substantial sum of money accompanied by an unsigned, typewritten letter. When he receives a response from Ryan’s widow, Mary Ann, Giant writes to her again, tangling himself up in a web of lies. Little by little, the enigmatic Giant starts to come out of his shell, until one day, when Mary Ann shows up in New York with her three children, ready to join her husband.

London – SHI

During the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, two women’s lives become irrevocably intertwined when they both fall victim to a nefarious underground fraternity of ex-soldiers from England’s upper crust who have sworn their lives to defending the British Empire—as well as their own decadent lifestyles. In this first volume, young rebel Jennifer Winterfield and the mysterious Kitamakura from Japan forge an unlikely alliance along with Jennifer’s doctor uncle and a street urchin named Pickles. Together they lay the groundwork for a criminal organization that will go on to sow terror in the hearts of the colonialists and industrialists who tried to put them down.

Barcelona – The Muse

From his Barcelona studio in 1939, an aging Catalan painter shares with his model the mystery of his best friend Vidal Balaguer, “the forgotten genius” of Catalan Modernism, who vanished on the eve of 1900. His story his linked to the disappearance a few months earlier of his muse and lover, Mar, the subject of his most famous painting, “Young Lady in a Mantón.” But there are other disappearances, too, of people, a corpse, some oranges, and a stubbornly silent canary named Stradivarius. A police detective is convinced that Balaguer murdered his model but by the end of the story we may come to believe that, as the painter himself reflects, “the murder weapon is not always what you might think!”

Vienna – The Czech Coup

A former actress and spy, Elizabeth Montagu, is tasked with guiding British author Graham Greene around postwar Vienna, as he conducts research for a screenplay. However, the visit of “G.,” a former spy himself, soon proves to be just as mysterious as his best-selling thrillers, winding through Vienna’s shadowy underground before leading to a Prague on the cusp of revolution…

Berlin – 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

Miami – Tyler Cross

Someone hired hitmen to kill Tyler Cross. They didn’t get him, but now his girlfriend’s dead, and he wants to know who paid to have him dead. Someone else spent the take from his last job, investing it in a shady land deal down in sunny Miami. Tyler Cross just wants his money back, but the D.A.’s goons, Cuban gangsters, Miami developers, a trust-fund junkie, and a secretary with an ex-con boyfriend complicate things. Bodies will fall when greed and amoral justice face off in an island-hopping game of cold-blooded murder and white-collar crime.

Tokyo – Clan

Saburo is an ambitious young yakuza who provokes a war between rival factions in an attempt to overthrow the Oyabun Kodama, Tokyo’s gang boss. But the sly old devil won’t give up without a fight! Hoping to have Saburo killed, he orders Shi’s release from prison, something the old blind warrior has been waiting thirty years for. Thirty years cut off from the rest of the world, unaware of the betrayal that sealed his fate. Sometimes, all that separates family and business is the width of a blade…

Rome – Interpol: The Purple Cats

Following a series of jewelry store robberies by an armed gang wearing cat masks, Interpol sends Marie Watteau to the scene of their latest raid: Rome. But tracking down the gang is the least of her problems. First, she must rein in the local carabinieri, headed by Major Livia de Angelis, whose resentment of Interpol’s interference leads to a clash of wills. But is that the only reason for de Angelis’s defiance, or is she following some private agenda? In chasing down the Purple Cats, Watteau soon finds she is merely scratching the surface of a multi-layered intrigue…

Jerusalem – 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.

Venice – 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?

Baléares – Karmen

This is a graphic novel about death and suicide… but not in the way you think. It’s about death that can be reversible, when and if the right angels are looking. The dead person here is Catalina, a self-absorbed student who kills herself out of heartbreak. The angel is Karmen, an angel of the facetious, unusual sort. Her capacity for empathy is so great that she leads “her” dead on a journey toward redemption and, believe it or not, back to life! Full of surprises, metaphysics, and beautiful women, this graphic novel is tender and not devoid of humor.

Istanbul – Djinn: 1. Ottoman Cycle

This collected edition features the first four volumes of the best-selling erotica series, as well as exclusive new content, including lavishly illustrated behind-the-scenes accounts by the authors. The series follows the paths of two different women, in two different eras. One is the exquisite Kim Nelson, a young English woman on a quest for a treasure she believes is rightfully hers. The other is her legendary ancestor Jade, a djinn of the utmost expertise in the art of love, who, through the power of her body, holds the whole world in the palm of her hand. Her quest? To make her mark on the memory of the world by passing into legend. But both women must withstand many trials in order to attain their goals. This is a series constantly in movement, migrating from Turkey and the harems of the Ottoman Empire, to Africa and the magic of ritual, and then on to India and the glittering Pavilion of Pleasures. A captivating tribute to the power of desire, sensuality, and the instinct to love.

London – London

“If you’re looking for words of wisdom, you won’t find them here, ’cause they’re drenched in scotch and beer… But there’s something there underneath it all, some ordinary life.” Economic emigration has never seemed so hopeless, and yet so promising. An engrossing portrayal of a hard-won life led by so many today, from Polish creators Dominik Szcześniak and Rafał Trejnis.

New York – Noir Burlesque

After a hold-up gone wrong, Slick finds himself deep in the red with local mafia boss Rex. But that’s not the only thing setting them at odds: they also have their sights set on the same woman, the beguiling Caprice. She’s engaged to Rex and headlines his club, where she thrills the nightly crowds. She’s off-limits, but Slick has never been one for limits. And he has unfinished business with Caprice, who was once his own sweetheart before the war pulled them apart. After all these years, there’s no love lost between them, but that doesn’t mean the old spark isn’t alive… And now, they’re playing with fire. Taking inspiration from the Hollywood noir films of the 1950s, Enrico Marini delivers a gritty graphic novel combining crime, love, jealousy, and betrayal.

Berlin – Spirou in Berlin

Spirou and Fantasio are caught up in another amazing adventure, set in a real historical context. It’s summer 1989, a few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the evil Zantafio is trying to take over East Germany. When he kidnaps the Count of Champignac, our two heroes find out and try to rescue him. But to do that, they have to cross Europe’s most heavily guarded border. East Germany’s notorious Secret Police, the Stasi, are soon hot on their trail, and Fantasio is arrested. So Spirou now has to free his friend as well as foil Zantafio’s diabolical scheme.

Londres – 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…

New York – Harlem

Harlem, 1931. Prohibition is still in effect, the Great Depression is getting worse by the day, and people are desperate for hope. For a decade, Stephanie St. Clair, a.k.a. Queenie, an immigrant from the French Antilles, has been running a lottery in Harlem that has provided just that: a chance for a way out. But with the end of Prohibition looming, bootlegger Dutch Schultz is looking to diversify his business before the booze industry dries up. And he sees Harlem as ripe for the picking, especially with the police and politicians for sale to the highest bidder—at least if you’re white. It may be wintertime in New York, but things are heating up in Harlem.

New York – Bootblack

During the depths of the Great Depression, an orphan reinvents himself as Al Chrysler and strives to win the heart of the local grocer’s daughter. In doing so, he falls in with a newly arrived petty criminal who soon has him and his friends working for the local mafia. As the stakes get higher, Al soon realizes he’s gotten in too deep, and is caught up in a chain of events beyond his control.

Header image: A Real Job © Alberto Madrigal / BAO Publishing

Blacksad is probably one of the most mythic talking animal european comic, achieving the feat of creating a deeply realistic plotline incarnated by animalised figures. Nonetheless many others european comics use these same process, resulting in either fascinating stories or funny situations.

The Last Jungle Book

Just outside Delhi, the capital of India, a man called Mowgli rents a house on the outskirts of the jungle, where he plans to live out the rest of his days. The forest is not nearly as vast as it once was, but the air, the trees and the hills still retain a thousand memories: the cries of birds long departed, the calls of brother wolves that have since died off, the rage of a jealous tiger… For Mowgli, the jungle is the stomping ground of his childhood and his path to adolescence, including the undeniable need to grow up and leave it. For Mowgli, it is time to rediscover the jungle so as to prevent the world of men from stealing away his innocence and his illusions. For this man growing ever older, these memories take him back to a time when all he had to do was learn, and not yet pay the price of his mistakes…

Blacksad

Get ready for a true masterpiece! This is the story of a private detective seeking revenge for the death of his assassinated ex-girlfriend. A stunning thriller, enhanced by a wonderfully detailed drawing style, with characters in the form of the animals that best reflect the nuances of their personalities. Dark, daring, engaging, this is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most successful comic book series.

Forget My Name

When the last vestiges of his childhood are taken from him, Zerocalcare discovers unsuspected secrets about his family. Torn between the soothing numbness of the innocence of youth and the impossibility to elude society’s ever expanding control over people’s lives, he’ll have to understand where he really comes from, before he understands where he is going.

Tiny Fox and Great Boar

Tiny Fox lives alone beneath his apple tree in the distant hills. He is a happy little animal, busy looking after himself and his foxy things. Then one day, a Great Boar appears and moves in under the apple tree, bringing with him a time of change and adventure. Is Tiny Fox ready?

Vizilsan

Vizilsan is a world hemmed by dreams. Full of contrast, reminiscent of a world from a time long forgotten, yet blessed with certain technological accomplishments from a distant future. The lines between magic and science are blurred. The vast diversity of races poses the question of their origin – either from another planet or a different time. It is a wonderful world of dense forests, endless rivers, vast oceans, insurmountable mountain tops, arid deserts. A world full of life. Alas, the energy that once maintained this natural balance has begun wandering aimlessly due to crazed exploitation of natural resources, threatening to destroy that world. Few are aware. Few are trying to do something about it. A human duchess and a battle-hardened kaitian warrior, with the help of a few loyal friends, will try to restore the balance to the world and secure its survival. An epic adventure across the five continents of the world of Vizilsan now begins…

Brina

When the cat Brina goes on vacation with her owners, things don’t quite turn out as planned. Should our loved ones be held on to and protected, or should we let them go, to live out their own adventures? A charming and spirited graphic novel from scriptwriter Giorgio Salati (Disney, RAI) and artist Christian Cornia.

Natty

Rebellious Princess Natty of Orchidhali is a member of the floral caste and lives in a luxurious, sunshine-filled palace. But once she refuses her arranged marriage, she is forced to flee the palace. She ends up in the dark realm of the Untouchables, the very lowest caste of society, where a strange form of leprosy reigns as a result of the lack of sunlight. Natty meets an Untouchable named Sami, who is just as rebellious as she is, and together they make a plan to leave the shadows of the underworld and return to the light. But just as they are about to make their escape, a battalion of soldiers arrives, and Sami ends up in prison.

Jack Wolfgang

With the invention of Super Mega Tofu, civilization has seen the advent of a fragile peace—between animals and humans, between carnivores and herbivores. This miracle food has the peculiar quality of being universally loved. Jack Wolfgang, the world-renowned restaurant critic, travels the world sampling Super Mega Tofu in all of its varieties. It’s the perfect cover for his second identity: Jack Wolfgang, CIA special agent. When his friend and mentor is killed, Jack picks up the scent of a conspiracy and tracks it half way around the globe. Can society survive this collision of fine dining and espionage?

Adventures of Chick the 1st

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!

Abbott and Barley

Abbott wishes to take his son Barley to a special place, a place just for the two of them, a place where he can be a hero to Barley. Wherever they decide to go, Barley’s friends had been there before. Only Abbott’s huge heart will be able to find the perfect place: he’s brave, he can handle it!

Mulo

Where did he come from? All Mulo knows is that he grew up in an orphanage on the French mainland. Then he receives an enigmatic letter directing him to an island off the coast of Brittany and promising him a glimpse into his past. A ferry delivers Mulo to the island where, in a seemingly abandoned cannery, he discovers a clue to his past—and learns that for some, he’s considered unfinished business. Drug busts, failed executions, and lousy weather—this is hardly an island holiday for a young mule on a quest. It doesn’t get any better when the truth you seek is on an old VHS tape that should have been destroyed a long time ago.

Nelson

Nelson is a cheeky little imp who is the bane of Julie’s life. But watch out, nobody is safe from the orange curse! Nelson is capable of making life difficult for pretty much anyone he comes across…

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.

Animal Jack

Jack is a typical grade school kid… except that he never speaks a word, is followed everywhere he goes by a flying bug, and can turn into any animal he wants, usually to come to the rescue of his family and classmates. Not everybody appreciates his strange behavior, however. When the town’s children start disappearing into the forest, though, Jack’s special ability is their only hope. Will Jack ever be understood and accepted by those around him? And will the townsfolk come to see the forest as anything besides a danger and a nuisance?

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.

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…

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!

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…

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

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.

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.

Marzi

“Before, there were trees and countryside. Man didn’t intervene. Stalin decided to “rectify” that space, and now, instead of trees, there are concrete buildings, everywhere. Stalin had a factory built. Thanks to that, lots of people got jobs, like my dad.” Born in 1979, Marzi is a 7-year-old Polish girl who looks wide-eyed at the world around her: her parents, her family, her school friends and the crabby women at the grocery store who don’t even smile for a fruit delivery. Marzi lives on a council estate in an industrial town, and is a cheerful, carefree, mischievous and perceptive little girl, bound to run into many adventures!

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.

Haytham

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.

The Wolves of La Louvière

Belgium, 1940. The German army is spreading across Europe, and tiny Belgium is conquered in 18 days. During the four long years of the Nazi occupation, the women of La Louvière have to figure out some way to stay alive, to live their lives, and to keep up hope. Their world is drawn through teenage Marcelle’s journal: What does she do? How do her family members endure? Which women in town collaborate with the occupying forces, and which women choose to fight? As always in wartime, the women take over for the absent men and keep their world spinning.

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.

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.

Gérard

Mathieu Sapin has made a career as a nonfiction cartoon chronicler. In a blend of witty, insightful diary and documentary vérité, he has tackled topics from moviemaking to the making of a presidential campaign, and provided behind-the-scenes looks at the presidential Palais d’Élysée. But the French government is no match for his latest subject: larger-than-life film star Gérard Depardieu, the most famous Frenchman in the world! From Azerbaijan to Bavaria, passing through Moscow and Portugal, Sapin tags along on a wild ride, creating a faithful portrait of a man full of contradictions.

World Without End

Header image:  Haytham © Nicolas Hénin, Kyungeun Park / Dargaud

Cosmonauts of the Future

It all starts in a school playground, and then it moves to a classroom, where Larcenet’s superb graphic camera zooms in on two ten-year-old kids: Gildas and Martina. The pair of them are ever so slightly obsessed with Sci-fi. To the extent they think they’re surrounded by robots and aliens. As far as they’re concerned, their entire world is made up of false appearances, and they’re soon to be the victims of a huge intergalactic plot! You read, you smile, you snigger. But then suddenly, it’s all turned on its head…

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!

FRNK

When a 13-year-old orphan sets out to find his parents and ends up in prehistoric times, he realises he’s got a lot of work to do: so many things haven’t been invented yet, like fire, soap… and vowels! Not to mention all the terrifying creatures and knuckledragging cavemen he has to deal with!

Golam

When a 13-year-old orphan sets out to find his parents and ends up in prehistoric times, he realises he’s got a lot of work to do: so many things haven’t been invented yet, like fire, soap… and vowels! Not to mention all the terrifying creatures and knuckledragging cavemen he has to deal with!

Spirou in Berlin

Spirou and Fantasio are caught up in another amazing adventure, set in a real historical context. It’s summer 1989, a few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the evil Zantafio is trying to take over East Germany. When he kidnaps the Count of Champignac, our two heroes find out and try to rescue him. But to do that, they have to cross Europe’s most heavily guarded border. East Germany’s notorious Secret Police, the Stasi, are soon hot on their trail, and Fantasio is arrested. So Spirou now has to free his friend as well as foil Zantafio’s diabolical scheme.

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?

Natty

Rebellious Princess Natty of Orchidhali is a member of the floral caste and lives in a luxurious, sunshine-filled palace. But once she refuses her arranged marriage, she is forced to flee the palace. She ends up in the dark realm of the Untouchables, the very lowest caste of society, where a strange form of leprosy reigns as a result of the lack of sunlight. Natty meets an Untouchable named Sami, who is just as rebellious as she is, and together they make a plan to leave the shadows of the underworld and return to the light. But just as they are about to make their escape, a battalion of soldiers arrives, and Sami ends up in prison.

The Amazing Adventures of Jules

Jules, a nice boy living a quiet life without any particular problems (except his little brother set on murdering his guinea pig), is selected by the Global Space Agency to take part in the first expedition to planet Alpha aboard an interstellar spaceship. The journey will last 8 weeks for the passengers, and 8 months in Earth-time (because of relativity)… Thus Jules embarks upon the voyage of a lifetime, stowaway guinea pig in tow, accompanied by the other members of this glorious team of space explorers: a couple of eccentrics who collect Nobel prizes; a rather tetchy roommate; a drunken pilot who seems to mess up the landings every time and endangers interplanetary peace; and a pretty exobiologist who will study any extraterrestrial life they come across. Get ready for takeoff!

Campbells

After his wife’s brutal murder, Campbell, a pirate legend, gave up his life on the open seas to raise his two young daughters in peace. But, inevitably, his past eventually catches up with him in the form of Carapepino, a pretentious but clumsy pirate, desperately trying to win favour with the infamous Inferno. For his own sinister reasons, Inferno wants more than anything to get rid of Campbell and his offspring, once and for all. But Campbell and Inferno are bound to each other in ways that those around them would never have guessed…

Tiny Fox and Great Boar

Tiny Fox lives alone beneath his apple tree in the distant hills. He is a happy little animal, busy looking after himself and his foxy things. Then one day, a Great Boar appears and moves in under the apple tree, bringing with him a time of change and adventure. Is Tiny Fox ready?

The Music Box

For her eighth birthday, Nola receives a marvelous present: her late mother Annah’s music box. It has the most enchanting melody, and inside the globe… is that a little girl waving? And calling for help?! Before she knows it, Nola has shrunk down size, slipped through the keyhole, and entered the world of Pandorient, where even the most ordinary-looking citizens can have extraordinary powers—and where danger could lurk down every hallway. Nola must help her new friends save their mother from a mysterious malady—all the while making surprising discoveries about Annah’s past, and—maybe—her own future…

Brina

When the cat Brina goes on vacation with her owners, things don’t quite turn out as planned. Should our loved ones be held on to and protected, or should we let them go, to live out their own adventures? A charming and spirited graphic novel from scriptwriter Giorgio Salati (Disney, RAI) and artist Christian Cornia.

Telemachus

Ulysses, mythical hero and king of Ithaca, left years ago to fight in the Trojan War. He never came home. His son, Telemachus, an impatient and immature prince who is as clumsy as he is ambitious, decides to go looking for him. On the way, he meets the hot-headed princess Polycaste, who helps him in his perilous adventure full of vengeful gods and terrifying monsters. Will the winds be favorable to them?

Timo the Adventurer

Timo’s been preparing to be an adventurer his whole (short) life—devouring books of valiant feats and incredible journeys, learning about navigation, botany, and other survival skills. But now that he’s taken the plunge, venturing alone into a new land, the fairy tale has become all too real. Will he fulfill his wish and become a true hero, noble steed and legendary weapon included? More importantly, will he be able to distinguish friend from foe?

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.

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

Cinq Avril

On April 5th, 1514, a mysterious noblewoman leaves a newborn bearing only an unusual golden necklace at the gates of the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, France. Named “Cinq Avril” by the cooks who care for him, and taken under the wing of another resident of the castle, a certain Leonardo da Vinci, the child grows in energy and knowledge as he’s instructed in a multitude of secrets. When his mentor dies, the young man discovers a posthumous letter explaining that he has the power to change the course of history if he can unravel the enigma of his birth.

Header image: Golam ©  Josselin Azorin-Lara / Sylvain Dos Santos / Nicolas Sauge / Le Lombard

Vampires, Westerns, ancient Romans… Enrico Marini has all the bases covered! Discover a fantastic range of series from one of the leading European comics artists working today.

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…

Raptors

Their reign is coming to an end. They had the power, they dominated the town, the whole world. Order prevailed. Their order. But then a certain pair of siblings came along — the Raptors. United by blood, decked out in skin-tight leather, slipping through the night, sowing disorder. The head of the town is worried, and not without reason. The immortal race to which he belongs is starting to discover what it means to die…

Desert Star

Our story starts in Washington, 1870. Matthew Montgomery has an important post at the Ministry of Defense. He’s rather an inflexible man who always respects the rules, which is why he warned his daughter, Helen, not to leave with that idiot, Glover. Of course, she did it anyway, and now she wants to come back and expects to be pardoned. But when Matthew arrives home the night of his Helen’s return, he opens the door to find his wife and daughter slaughtered in the hallway, and a strange star engraved on his daughter’s breast. His whole life is turned upside down. Traumatized, he starts out on the trail of the killers, with just one clue to help him on his way: a name – Jason Cauldry, from Topeka. Matthew wants to know why some stranger came such a long way just to etch that damn star onto his daughter’s body, so he sets off on a long journey, crossing the Appalachian mountains and the Mid-West, all the way to Topeka. But what will he find there?

Gypsy

This first volume of the six-part series introduces us to the crazy world of the orphaned Tsagoi (aka Gypsy) and his little sister, Oblivia. After swearing to himself and Oblivia that he’d find a way to make his fortune and get them both out of their down-and-out beginnings, Tsagoi disappears from Oblivia’s life for the next 12 years. The only contact Oblivia has with her roguishly handsome big brother are the money packages he sends in order to pay for her expensive boarding school in Switzerland that he has her enrolled in. And she was just fine with that… right up until the money runs out. Oblivia is left with no choice but to seek out her brother in Port Radium, where the pair embarks (against Oblivia’s will) on one of Tsagoi’s totally illegal money-making ventures. Living within the confines of Tsagoi’s trusty truck, the modern-day Gypsy’s caravan, Oblivia is forced to face up to the reality of what her brother has become: not the noble benefactor she had hoped for, but a first-rate scoundrel!

Noir Burlesque

After a hold-up gone wrong, Slick finds himself deep in the red with local mafia boss Rex. But that’s not the only thing setting them at odds: they also have their sights set on the same woman, the beguiling Caprice. She’s engaged to Rex and headlines his club, where she thrills the nightly crowds. She’s off-limits, but Slick has never been one for limits. And he has unfinished business with Caprice, who was once his own sweetheart before the war pulled them apart. After all these years, there’s no love lost between them, but that doesn’t mean the old spark isn’t alive… And now, they’re playing with fire. Taking inspiration from the Hollywood noir films of the 1950s, Enrico Marini delivers a gritty graphic novel combining crime, love, jealousy, and betrayal.

Header image: Desert Star © Marini / Desberg / Dargaud

Europe Comics is always up for offering its readers a different kind of a reading experience. In that spirit, here is a list of the most uncommon detectives and crime stories out there.

Maggy Garrisson

Even the infamous English rain can’t dampen Maggy Garrisson’s spirits as she walks through the London streets to her first job in two years. The shabby detective agency run by a hopeless, chain-smoking alcoholic might not exactly be her cup of tea, but Maggy’s willing to make concessions. The plot thickens when her boss gets beaten unconscious, and Maggy discovers a wallet full of seemingly trivial objects. But why’s she suddenly attracting all this unwanted attention? Perhaps there’s something in that wallet that’s more than it seems…

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.

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.

Stern

1880. Kansas. Elijah Stern, the local undertaker, leads a calm and solitary life, until one day he is asked to carry out an autopsy on a man found dead in a brothel. Taking on the role of forensic pathologist, he discovers that the man had not died of natural causes and finds himself involved, against his better wishes, in the middle of a bonafide investigation. But Stern has no idea that the key to this case lies in his own past…

Vice Squad

It is the winter of 1937, and Aimé Louzeau lives with his mother and their servant. One day, he goes to the Quai des Orfèvres, the police prefecture of Paris, to speak with the vice squad. He currently works in the Criminal Investigation department, but crimes of passion and back alley stabbings really aren’t his thing, so he requests a transfer from Chief Inspector Séverin. The atmosphere immediately darkens, as Louzeau is thrown straight into the interrogation of a pimp called Guapito and his prostitute.

Blacksad

Get ready for a true masterpiece! This is the story of a private detective seeking revenge for the death of his assassinated ex-girlfriend. A stunning thriller, enhanced by a wonderfully detailed drawing style, with characters in the form of the animals that best reflect the nuances of their personalities. Dark, daring, engaging, this is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most successful comic book series.

Ric Hochet

Ric Hochet, the famous Parisian newshound, is not himself. He’s wearing a mysterious bandage, he isn’t driving his usual car, and a strange smell is emanating from his apartment… When he’s invited to his old friend Police Commissioner Bourdon’s wedding in the South of France, his infallible memory starts failing and his legendary luck begins to desert him. Then an attempt is made on Bourdon’s life. What’s eating Ric and why would anyone want to murder Bourdon? Clearly, things are not all what they seem—least of all Ric himself.

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!

Header image: Blacksad © Canales & Guarnido / Dargaud