Mattéo #5

Jean-Pierre Gibrat's Mattéo returns for its fifth chapter, covering the turbulent years of September 1936 to January 1939, a period steeped in conflict and consequence. The cover — rendered entirely by Gibrat — presents a young woman in a military coat and forage cap, rifle in hand, standing resolute against a pale, wintry backdrop of bare branches, a red bird perched nearby lending the scene a quiet, watchful tension. It's a beautifully composed image that speaks to both the era's harsh realities and Gibrat's painterly, deeply human approach to historical storytelling.