A two-page sequence from Tardi's Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec [mature]
A two-page sequence from Tardi's Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec [mature]
These come from the sixth volume Le Noyé à deux têtes (the "Two-Headed Drowned Man," I believe). The series is by Jacques Tardi, as collected by Casterman. It ran from the ~70's to the 2000's.
I haven't read too much of this series myself, but really liked the color scheme, panel flow, and overall action/noirish aspects of these two pages.
Tardi is one of the most important, versatile and influential French comic artists of all time. He invented an influential variation of Hergé's "Ligne Claire," but is first and foremost hailed as one of the masters of adult comics.
Recurring themes in his productive oeuvre are the early 20th century - particularly World War I -, steampunk, detective stories, and the underworld of the city. His signature series 'Les Extraordinaires Aventures d'Adèle Blanc-Sec' follows a feisty female private investigator in 1910-20s Paris. --Lambiek
It's a great series, definitively recommended to anybody enjoying dark fantasy, steampunk and bizarre adventures.
Oi-- one thing I never really understood, and maybe you can help me--
Is "Blanc-Sec" meant to be literally be "dry-white," like fresh-made (skinless grape) wine, or is it possibly a metaphor..?
I have no idea, it's simply treated as a name in the translations I've read (not English). Maybe there's something more to it in the original language, like a pun you'd have to be native to French to understand?