Manhattan Beach 1957

In 2002, European comics master Hermann launched this standalone prestige one-shot for a mature readership, a self-contained crime drama set against the sun-bleached backdrop of 1950s California. The story follows a desperate man entangled with a dangerous woman and the violence that erupts from their collision, rendered in Hermann's signature, gritty ligne claire style. A taut, atmospheric noir from a celebrated Belgian artist, it stands as a potent single-issue thriller rather than an ongoing series.