Bill Baroud #[nn]

Manu Larcenet's Bill Baroud cuts a wonderfully absurd figure on this Fluide Glacial cover: a rotund, rumpled agent in an FBI-tagged bomber jacket waddles forward clutching a pistol in one hand and a grocery bag full of vegetables in the other, his trousers conspicuously blood-splattered. The deadpan collision of mundane errand-running and apparent mayhem sums up the series' satirical charm perfectly — this is spy comedy with a distinctly French sense of the ridiculous. A great entry point for anyone who enjoys their action heroes a little rough around the edges and a lot funnier than they'd like to admit.