Alors ?... Heureuse ?... #[nn]

Peter van Straaten's dry wit is on full display with this 1992 Futuropolis release, its bold orange cover setting the tone for what promises to be a quietly observational look at human relationships. The cover illustration shows two figures lying side by side in bed, a bedside lamp glowing nearby — a deceptively simple domestic scene that lets the title's loaded question, "Alors?... Heureuse?..." ("So?... Happy?..."), do all the heavy lifting. Van Straaten's spare, economical linework says everything you need to know about the gentle, knowing humor waiting inside.