Ratafia #5

The fifth volume of Pothier and Salsedo's charming Ratafia series whisks readers to a snow-dusted Japanese setting, where the cover shows two colorfully dressed figures — one clutching what appears to be a bundle of bamboo — scrambling across a wooden bridge as snowflakes drift down around a serene lakeside pavilion. It's a delightful blend of slapstick energy and elegant, wintry atmosphere that gives the whole image a wonderfully animated quality. Subtitled Le nénuphar instantané, this 2018 entry from Vents d'Ouest looks like another lively, visually inventive adventure in this beloved Franco-Belgian series.