Les Chasseurs d'écume #1

The opening volume of Les Chasseurs d'écume sets its scene with quiet, evocative power: a young boy in worn work clothes stands on a harbor quayside, fishing net and wicker basket in hand, while tall-masted sailing vessels rest in the water behind him beneath a pale, overcast sky. Subtitled 1901, Premières Sardines, this first album by Debois and Fino promises an intimate portrait of maritime working life at the turn of the twentieth century, seen through the eyes of those who labored closest to the sea. For anyone drawn to historical French comics with a human, grounded sensibility, this 2011 Glénat release looks like a thoroughly compelling place to begin.