Boule & Bill #31

Volume 31 of the beloved Belgian series finds Boule and his faithful cocker spaniel Bill in a charmingly chaotic urban gardening moment — Boule kneels happily with a trowel and a bag of soil, planting a young tree on the sidewalk, while Bill gets an unexpected shower from a watering can that a cheerful flock of blue birds has gleefully taken over. Verron, continuing after Roba, brings warm, playful energy to the cover, with the city rooftops looming grey in the background and the duo's good-natured optimism shining right through the mayhem. Graine de Cocker — "Cocker Seed" — is a delightful 2007 addition to this long-running Dargaud series that has charmed French-speaking readers for generations.