Le grand mort #1

The opening volume of Le Grand Mort, subtitled "Larmes d'abeille," arrives from Vents d'Ouest in 2007 with a cover by Vincent Mallié that immediately sets an unsettling, otherworldly tone. Against a dense forest of burning red foliage, a young dark-haired figure crouches low to the ground while a pale, ghostly or supernatural presence looms close behind — the contrast between the vivid crimson landscape and the two figures is quietly haunting. With Régis Loisel and Jean-Blaise Djian co-writing and François Lapierre's colors saturating every panel, this is a beautifully crafted start to what promises to be a striking fantasy series.