Valentin #[nn]

This quietly charming volume from Les Éditions de la Pastèque opens with a cover that perfectly sets its gentle tone — a young woman in a red hat and patterned coat gazes up at a blossoming pink tree, where an orange cat lounges contentedly among the branches. Pascal Girard's soft watercolor linework gives the whole scene a tender, autumnal warmth, with fallen petals dotting the grass below. A lovely entry in the 2010 Québec comics landscape, Valentin feels like a small, unhurried breath of fresh air.