De 7 levens van de sperwer #1

A lone rider wrapped in a sweeping grey cloak gallops across a snow-blanketed landscape, a distant city's spires fading into a pale winter sky — it's a striking opening image for this first volume of the Ninon-cyclus from writer Patrick Cothias and artist André Juillard. Subtitled "Vijftien jaar later," the story promises a tale shaped by the passage of time, and Juillard's cover — all crisp lines and elegantly muted tones — sets a mood that is both urgent and melancholic. Published by Dargaud Benelux in 2014, this Dutch-language edition of De 7 levens van de sperwer is a fine entry point into one of Franco-Belgian comics' most atmospheric historical series.