Barbe-Rouge L'intégrale #11

This handsome 2001 Dargaud omnibus collects adventures from the beloved French pirate series, with a cover that sets the tone perfectly: the grizzled, red-bearded Barbe-Rouge himself stands sword-ready alongside a determined young companion and a third figure in the background, all framed by billowing red sails and a tall ship on the open sea. The skull-and-crossbones pennant flying above adds a suitably swashbuckling flourish to the whole composition. Volume 11 of *L'Intégrale* is a fine way to dive into — or continue — one of Franco-Belgian comics' most enduring nautical sagas.