Elsje #9

The ninth collected volume of Elsje, the beloved Dutch comic strip by Hercules & Valkema, brings together more of the feisty young heroine's misadventures. Valkema's cover art captures Elsje front and center — dark hair pinned up with a pink bow, red shirt, and both hands spread wide in that perfectly exasperated "what do you want from me?" shrug — her furrowed brow saying everything the subtitle echoes: Met die gelukkige jeugd moet je dan maar leren leven ("With that happy childhood, you just have to learn to live"). Ghosted silhouettes of Elsje in various emotional outbursts dance across the light blue background, hinting at the full range of sharp, warm humor waiting inside.