The Joke #[nn]

From French publisher Les Requins Marteaux comes The Joke, a 2003 release by the sharp and playful cartoonist Luz. The cover sets the tone perfectly: a looming, shadowy blue figure faces off against a wide-eyed, goggle-faced little creature — tiny red heart hovering above it — in a wonderfully off-kilter visual gag that promises the absurdist humor within. Luz's loose, expressive brushwork gives both characters an irresistible scrappy charm that draws you in immediately.