Hâsib et la reine des serpents #2

Drawn from the rich tradition of One Thousand and One Nights, this second volume by David B. presents a cover that is nothing short of mesmerizing: a young, bare-chested figure sits at the center of a swirling, jewel-toned serpent, surrounded by a vivid crowd of robed figures, skulls, skeletons, and mysterious onlookers all pressing in from the edges of a deep crimson field. The ornate, densely layered composition feels like a fever dream out of ancient Arabian folklore, with David B.'s unmistakable graphic style weaving the uncanny and the mythic into every inch of the image. Published by Gallimard in 2016, this concluding half of Hâsib and the Queen of Serpents is a striking piece of bande dessinée storytelling that lingers in the imagination long after the cover alone.