Elsje #6

Volume 6 of Elsje, the beloved Dutch comic series by Hercules and Valkema, captures the irresistible chaos of childhood in a single glance: our heroine is sprawled across a pink bed, locked in a gleeful tug-of-war over a handheld game controller with a determined little boy, while a gaming monitor displays a colorful platformer and a exasperated girl looks on from behind a tray of snacks and drinks. Gerben Valkema's cover linework is wonderfully expressive, packing the scene with scattered comics, candy, a piggy bank, and a small owl — every detail adding to the wonderfully messy energy. The Dutch subtitle, "Driemaal daags verwennen voorkomt ongewenste bijwerkingen" ("Spoiling three times a day prevents unwanted side effects"), sets a perfectly playful, tongue-in-cheek tone for this 2012 collection.