La grande Peste #1

A haunting still life greets readers of this opening volume from Éric Stalner and Cédric Simon: a human skull rests at the center of the composition, flanked by an hourglass, a guttering candle, scattered maps or parchments, a dagger, and a rat perched watchfully nearby — all reflected in an aged mirror, with a lone green butterfly drifting above. The subtitle, Le Quatrième Cavalier ("The Fourth Horseman"), and the cover's tagline — reminding us that an unknown disease struck Europe in 1347 and claimed 25 million lives in five years — frame this as a serious, atmospheric dive into one of history's darkest chapters. Published by Les Arènes in 2021, La Grande Peste promises a thoughtfully crafted historical narrative with striking visual storytelling from its very first page.