DirkJan #22

Volume 22 of Mark Retera's beloved Dutch strip finds DirkJan perched on a racing bicycle in what appears to be a workshop, while a large, bearish figure looms behind him fiddling with some kind of canister attached to his head — watched curiously by a small spiky-haired kid peeking in through the doorway. Retera's warm, rubbery linework and the cluttered wall of colorful tools give the scene a wonderfully lived-in, slightly chaotic charm that longtime fans will instantly recognize. At 7,95 EUR, this 2016 album is an easy pick for anyone who enjoys deadpan Dutch humor delivered with genuine visual wit.