Nero #144

Marc Sleen's long-running Belgian classic De Avonturen van Nero reaches its 144th volume with "Palermo," published by Standaard Uitgeverij in 1998. The cover sets an immediately intriguing scene: a large shipping container door swings open dockside, revealing a cluster of characters — including a figure in military-style green uniform — caught in what looks like a tense moment of discovery, while onlookers in the foreground react with alarm. Sleen's warmly expressive ligne claire style makes this snapshot of harbourside intrigue as charming as it is suspenseful.