Hartjes #2

The bold red cover of Hartjes deel 2 sets the tone perfectly: a small, expressive stick-figure character screams with wide-open mouth while a jagged speech bubble erupts beside it — containing nothing but a single heart. It's a wonderfully compact image that captures the push-and-pull of everyday emotion with charming economy. Maaike Hartjes's clean, confident linework makes this 2005 Dutch collection an appealing grab for anyone who enjoys comics that find humor and feeling in the simplest of drawings.