Les Bums #1

From 6 Pieds Sous Terre's Lépidoptère imprint comes this charming French-language comic by Stéphane Rey, whose clean, sketchy black-and-white linework sets a quietly contemplative tone from the very first cover. Two small children stand in conversation beside a rounded bush and a stone lantern, their speech bubbles exchanging a wonderfully open question about belief in life after death — and life before it. It's an unexpectedly philosophical opening image for a 2005 release, rendered with a gentle simplicity that feels both playful and sincere.