La fin du monde est pour ce soir #[nn]

A deadpan gem from 1986, this Pétillon album sets its darkly comic tone right on the cover: a stern, imperious king seated on his throne regards a jester who, clutching his scepter and wearing a sheepish grin, admits in a speech bubble "je ne trouve pas de gags…" — the end of the world, apparently, is tonight, and the court fool has nothing to offer. Published by Albin Michel, it's a wonderfully dry French bande dessinée that pairs an apocalyptic title with the most deflated of punchlines, promising the kind of absurdist humor Pétillon delivers with such effortless wit.