Les pionniers de l'aventure humaine #[nn]

A wild figure in a leopard-print outfit grins at the center of this striking Le Lombard cover, tangled within an enormous web of dark, twisting branches or scaffolding while a second character peers down from above in the background. François Boucq's linework gives the whole scene a wonderfully anarchic energy — chaotic yet full of life, with a sun-drenched European streetscape hinting at the world just beyond the tangle. Les Pionniers de l'Aventure Humaine has long been one of Boucq's most characterful creations, and this 2013 edition from Le Lombard is a fine invitation into its eccentric universe.