Les imposteurs #[nn]

Christian Cailleaux's Les Imposteurs from Casterman draws you immediately into a crowded, formal gathering rendered in a restrained palette of black, grey, and striking red — a sea of figures in tuxedos and evening gowns whose oddly masklike faces hint at something unsettling beneath the social veneer. Two women in red dresses and a weathered-looking man at the center of the composition hold the eye, surrounded by the blank, almost featureless crowd pressing in around them. It's a beautifully composed 2009 release that promises intrigue and atmosphere in Cailleaux's distinctively elegant ligne claire style.