Valois #1

Two armored young men face off in the foreground while a composed noblewoman and a gathering of soldiers bristling with spears fill the space between them — Jaime Calderón's cover for this 2019 Dutch-language series opener sets an immediately tense, regal mood. Written by Thierry Gloris, Valois #1: De Italiaanse illusie promises a richly drawn dive into the ambitions and rivalries of the French royal house, rendered with a painterly warmth that feels right at home alongside the great European historical BD tradition.