Tom Poes #1

A wonderful introduction to the beloved Dutch comics duo, this 2016 album from Uitgeverij Cliché presents Tom Poes and his bear companion Olivier B. Bommel surrounded by a wonderfully strange cast of creatures in what appears to be an eerie, fantastical underworld. Tim Artz's cover work brings vivid life to the scene — small white cat Tom Poes and the rotund, checkered-jacketed Bommel are flanked by mysterious purple tentacled beings, sharp-speared figures, colorful flying creatures, and a band of armored tortoise-like characters emerging from oversized alien flora. It's a gloriously imaginative tableau that captures the whimsical yet slightly unsettling charm that has made Marten Toonder's creation a treasure of Dutch comics culture.