Après-midi torride #[nn]

Published by Futuropolis in 1987, this Franco-Belgian collection from cartoonist Julien opens with a wonderfully deadpan cover: a slack-jawed figure lounges in a chair, cigarette smoke curling from his fingers, while a boxy television set faces him across the room — a perfectly lazy tableau that captures the spirit of a "torrid afternoon" with dry wit. Julien's clean, bold linework and flat colors give the scene an effortlessly cool graphic punch. With a preface by Joost Swarte lending additional credibility, this slim volume is a charming snapshot of late-1980s French alternative comics.