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The daily misadventures of mischievous Belgian youngster Albert, as recounted in comic strip form by legendary ligne claire cartoonist Yves Chaland. The art of Yves Chaland ( Chaland Anthology - Freddy Lombard Vol. 1 & 2 ) tackles many different universes and genres. In the case of Young Albert, the author sarcastically explores intimate, everyday events in a largely autobiographical way. Mastering both art and writing skills in his short time on earth, Yves Chaland, is remembered as a genius who tragically left us to soon, but who thankfully gifted us a body of work that lives on as a major contributions to the world of comics.
At 21 years old, he [Chaland] landed a position at Métal Hurlant, producing one masterpiece after another. His Bob Fish serial is a superb example of his sadistic satirical approach to comics, wrapped in a classical & nostalgic fifties feel. While his Freddy Lombard series is more straightforward adventure serial, his Young Albert gags launched in 1982 is Chaland firing on all cylinders! A spinoff of Bob Fish, Young Albert features Chaland’s worldly views on humanity quite explicitly. As Jean-Luc Fromental notes in his afterword, Le Jeune Albert is nasty, cruel, argumentative, smart and possesses a truly ‘Brussels’ attitude. Chaland’s territory is the battleground of the human soul. Through Albert and his proletarian soundboard Fifi, he explores not only his own inner soul - Young Albert contains a lot of autobiographical details - but also the inner workings of his fellow human beings. Themes like treachery, cowardice, honesty, a class society, egoism, authority, self delusions etc. all pass the revue in the one page gags.
Young Albert is not an easy comic, it takes some getting used to and is best digested in large chunks because it is not your traditional laugh-out-loud comic strip. It is a rather confrontational masterpiece that reflects the darker side of human nature utilizing the half page comic setup and a young protagonist to make it all digestible, like a darkly comical mirror. - Bart Croonenborghs

A “must have” collection of classic adventures by one of Europe’s most feted cartoonists. PUBLICATION IN 5 VOLUMES - COMPLETED WORK. Impetuous Freddy Lombard and his frustrated, but faithful, friends, Dina and Sweep, go on six different adventures, from exploring Belgian castles and African jungles, to being swept up in revolutionary Budapest or caught up in the secrets surrounding a futuristic jet! Forever broke, the trio constantly look for ways to hustle enough money to live and continue solving mysteries in these tales with unexpected twists and lots of laughs.

Allow us to introduce Olympia, an exquisite young woman living in post-First-World-War Berlin, a time when the town was continually shaken up by internal revolutions and cultural turbulence. Olympia is beautiful. Louise Brooks-style beautiful. She is the archetype of that generation of war-women, the likes of which we'll never see again. Her father, Count Van Den Golzt, sends his daughter to Berlin following the Bolsheviks' establishment in Courlande, a move that he knew was a threat to the safety of his family. She soon becomes a fascinating character, with lovers from all walks of life, from bespectacled Communist intellectuals, to pimps. Alongside her decadent lifestyle, she fights passionately for the Socialist cause. Nihilistic, but driven, she ends up in the arms of the most unlikely suitor.

This is a collection of portraits of 7 women, of all different ages, backgrounds, circumstances and eras. Each one of them is facing a defining moment in her life. They are bound together by the symbol of their femininity: their breasts. We see an awkward college girl getting to grips with her womanhood; a 1960s house-wife freeing herself from the restraints of propriety; the manager of a small underwear shop fighting against corporate giants; a woman nude modeling for an unexpected reason... Love, illness, sex, liberation, sensuality: Olivier Pont draws us into the lives of these women with astounding force.

Marie Curie is the only woman ever to have received two Nobel prizes: the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, shared with her husband, Pierre Curie, and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for her work with polonium and radium in 1911. She was also the first woman ever to teach at the Sorbonne. This inspired comic is set at the time she received her second Nobel Prize, when a vicious press campaign was launched against her, denouncing her affair with the physician Paul Langevin. Through her flash-backs, we're invited to witness the key moments of this exceptional woman's life and work.

Esteban, a young Indian orphan of twelve, sets off on a great adventure. He follows his dream: he gets aboard a whaler, takes on the open sea, becomes a harpooner. Impressed by his tenacity and courage, the commander of the Leviathan takes him on as a ship’s boy and they set off for Cape Horn. He’ll discover life aboard a whaler, the crudeness – but solidarity – of the sailors, and the harshness of their world.

Usually around about the 40 mark, the human male has a habit of leaving his well-worn spouse in search of greener pastures. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. Florence Cestac dissects this subject of common interest, from the very first symptoms right up to the final outbreak, via the pangs of "bathrobe-sofa" depression. "You're the love of my life! But with her, it's something else... she's a fairy," declares our hero with the touching honesty of a male en route to adventure. So once our hero's skipped off into the sunset with his fairy, our heroine begins asking herself a series of counter-productive questions regarding her general attitude and in particular her cellulite. She then 1). Discovers that everyone else knew about it all along 2). Listens to the questionable opinions of her girlfriends 3). Attempts to rekindle old flames dug out of her old phone book and to kindle new ones in her local DIY store. She explains to her kid that Daddy "just took a little jaunt over to Mars," which the kid in turn interprets as "Daddy flew to Mars with a slut that Mommy doesn't like." She manages to raise her spirits with "tiptopform," drinks a bit, weeps a lot, and buries the dog who decided to die right in the middle of it all - cherry on the cake. Anyway, she "handles it" and she survives. Between giggles and anguish, this will touch anyone who's ever felt the sting of that wonderful thing we call love. Disarmingly frank, with endearingly crude humor and a perfect understanding of her subject, this is Florence Cestac on top form.

Jean-Paul is a shy, slightly gawky young man leading a rather unremarkable life in which his oppressive mother is all too present. As the anniversary of his father's death approaches, he feels increasingly dissatisfied with his life, and increasingly aware of his loneliness. It's time for things to change. So, without telling anyone, he embarks on a singles cruise and takes his first steps in a brave new world.

40-year-old Flora has just gone through a bitter divorce after 20 years of marriage. Thankfully, she can count on the support of her friends: Roxane, the cool hippie who loves to garden, Lea, the tireless career woman, and her old neighbor, Venerable. Like her friends, Flora would love to find her soul mate, but it's just not that simple. She has several promising dates, but once the first flush of passion is over, her lovers seem to disappear into the night. Why does this keep happening? Is she not attractive enough? Is she so difficult to be around? Or is she being sabotaged by someone close to her? A story for the divorced (and perpetually single) 40-somethings who just want to take a moment to catch their breath, and maybe even enjoy their singledom, told through the eyes of Flora and her hilarious entourage.