Hopfen und Malz #4

The fourth chapter of Hopfen und Malz brings writer Jean Van Hamme and artist Francis Vallès back together for "Noël, 1932," a story set against the charged atmosphere of Depression-era Christmas. Vallès's cover presents three sharply dressed figures — a suited man standing at left, an older gentleman seated at center, and a woman in a plaid skirt suit at right — their formal bearing and guarded expressions suggesting a family gathering where tension simmers beneath the seasonal occasion. It's a quietly compelling image that captures the elegance and unease of the early 1930s with real sophistication.