Die Nibelungen #[nn]

Germany's medieval saga of the Nibelungen gets a wonderfully irreverent comics treatment in this 2012 Jedermann-Verlag edition, with text and illustrations entirely by Jeanne Kloepfer. The cover sets a gleefully comedic tone: a wide-eyed, cartoonishly startled bird-like creature recoils with a bloody beak (complete with a "SMACK" sound effect) while a hulking, bat-winged figure crouches menacingly against a moody backdrop of bare trees and a distant castle. It's a clever, lively visual invitation into a retelling of one of Germanic literature's greatest epics — rendered here with sharp humor and confident, expressive linework.