Julia & Roem #[nn]

Enki Bilal brings his signature haunting draftsmanship to this 2011 Casterman release, its cover rendered in moody, smudged pencil tones that feel closer to charcoal portraiture than conventional comics art. Two figures — Julia and Roem — are drawn cheek to cheek in an intimate, unsettling closeness, their dark-rimmed eyes and pallid skin radiating the melancholy tension Bilal does so well. A compelling addition to any shelf that prizes European comics at their most atmospheric.