Isabella Bird, Femme exploratrice

A delightfully offbeat French series from Ki-oon, Isabella Bird, Femme exploratrice (2017–present) reimagines the real Victorian adventurer as a young woman who stumbles into a hidden world of monsters and magic while on her travels. Over its 12-issue run, the series blends historical exploration with fantasy, as Isabella's scientific curiosity and unflappable spirit lead her into encounters with yokai and other supernatural beings. Created by the writer-illustrator team of Run and Kikuo, the comic stands out for its lush, detailed art and its warm, lightly comedic tone, treating its heroine's otherworldly discoveries as natural extensions of her real-life passion for discovery. It matters as a fresh, genre-bending take on the biography comic, proving that even the most well-trod historical figure can be given a surprising, charming new life.