Karl & Klee #2

The second volume of Silvio Speca's Karl & Klee — subtitled À jamais ennemis — plunges readers into a sun-baked Western landscape where an imposing, furry bird-creature dominates the foreground, revolver raised and beak wide open, while a smaller dapper figure in a top hat stands defiantly in the dusty background. The dynamic between these two mismatched characters — one enormous and bristling, the other diminutive but stylish — promises the kind of odd-couple tension the title hints at. Published by Vents d'Ouest in 2009, this French-language adventure looks like a wonderfully inventive blend of anthropomorphic charm and frontier grit.