Le Prétexte #[nn]

Two young travelers share a carefree, playful moment beside a parked bus, arms outstretched against a backdrop of lush green hills — the cover of this Dargaud release immediately captures the loose, spontaneous energy of a road-trip story. Created by Isabelle Bauthian and Sylvain Limousi, Le Prétexte promises the kind of warmly observed slice-of-life storytelling that French bandes dessinées do so well. If you're drawn to grounded, human-scaled adventures, this 2010 album looks like an inviting place to start.