Franka #18

Part of Henk Kuijpers' long-running Dutch adventure series, this 2004 album finds Franka at the wheel of a gleaming red Ferrari convertible, her companion and a small white dog beside her as they cruise a busy highway — all while a striking billboard overhead features a reclining blonde figure advertising "efa." Kuijpers' clean, vibrant ligne claire artwork makes the cover pop with energy, contrasting the glamour of the sports car against the workaday traffic surrounding it. A title like Kidnap promises the kind of breezy-yet-tense adventure that has kept this series a beloved fixture of European comics.