Rheingefallen #[nn]

Set in Cologne and published in 1996 by Wienand Verlag, Rheingefallen kicks off detective Jakob Schlünkes' very first case in this German-language mystery comic by Dirk Meissner and Arno Fries. The cover, illustrated by Meissner, sets a wryly humorous tone: a car is sinking into the Rhine while figures on the riverbank exchange deadpan remarks in Kölsch dialect ("Wie isset?" / "…muß!"), with the city's familiar skyline sketched loosely in the background. It's a wonderfully understated introduction to what promises to be a distinctly Cologne-flavored detective story.