Agrippine #5

Claire Bretécher's sharp-witted series gets a generational twist in this fifth album, subtitled et l'ancêtre — "and the ancestor." The cover says it all: a lanky, spiky-haired teenager leans awkwardly against a big purple armchair while a grinning, rosy-cheeked elderly woman sits planted in it with cheerful defiance, a small dog peeking out from behind the chair. It's a wonderfully expressive setup that promises the same dry, affectionate comedy of French family life that has made Bretécher's work so enduringly entertaining since the series began.