Baku #3

The third volume of Grégoire Carlé's *Baku* arrives from L'Association with a cover that perfectly captures the series' unsettling charm: a massive, shaggy creature with a fearsome dragon-like head looms over a tiny, robed figure clutching a small object — the scale contrast alone is quietly riveting. Framing the central image is an intricate orange border of vines, skulls, a bird, an octopus, and a snake, giving the whole composition a cabinet-of-curiosities atmosphere. Carlé's two-tone black-and-orange palette is as striking as ever, making this 2010 release a visually confident entry in one of French alternative comics' more imaginative ongoing series.