Agence Hardy Édition intégrale #1

A stylish blonde woman in a fitted purple suit stands at the threshold of a dimly lit detective agency office, coat draped over her arm and an air of quiet determination about her — it's an image that immediately evokes the mood of mid-century noir. This first *intégrale* volume from Dargaud collects the early Hardy Agency stories by writer Pierre Christin and artist Annie Goetzinger, whose warm, atmospheric linework turns every panel into a study in period elegance. If you appreciate intelligent European bande dessinée with a noir sensibility and beautifully observed 20th-century detail, this handsome omnibus is a fine place to start.