Le Mage Acrylic #[nn]

Part of Dargaud's Histoires Fantastiques line, this 1984 album from Druillet and Bihannic announces itself with a cover that commands immediate attention — a sharp-eyed, broad-hatted sorcerer dominates the foreground, his flowing white hair and clenched fist gripping what appears to be a magical talisman, while a robed figure wreathed in serpentine dragons and bursting flames rages behind him. The composition brilliantly layers menace and spectacle, with the craggy rock formations and those coiling, thorned creatures adding real texture to the fantasy world being built here. If this kind of richly detailed, darkly imaginative Franco-Belgian storytelling appeals to you, Le Mage Acrylic looks like a very rewarding find.