Laowai #1

The opening volume of Lao Wai from Glénat sets a gripping historical stage with Xavier Besse's striking cover: a stern, uniformed Western officer dominates the foreground, his expression hardened against a backdrop of Chinese junks engulfed in smoke and fire on the water below. Bold red calligraphy frames the composition, immediately grounding the story in the turbulent collision of East and West. "De opiumoorlog" (The Opium War) promises a rich, visually arresting dive into one of the 19th century's most consequential conflicts.