Nick Naffer #1

Three tough-looking street kids scramble in panic as a pint-sized, red-shirted boy stands his ground in a rubble-strewn urban lot — backed by an enormous, looming black creature with a red emblem on its chest, framed in a shadowy doorway. Manu Larcenet wrings every bit of scrappy energy out of this opener for Nick Naffer: Gangsta Zonder Blaffer, striking a pitch-perfect balance between goofy cartoon comedy and genuine streetwise attitude. If the first volume in this 2006 Oog & Blik series is any indication, Nick is very much a kid you want in your corner.