Playful, inventive and magnificently illustrated story
De Morgen
Chicken Vera is the only one of the flock to survive a fox’s raid, because she’s sitting on eggs. Next to the barn she finds a frightened fox cub that has lost its hunting mother. She knows she really ought to chase the cub away, but her motherly heart is too big. She hides him under her wings and names him Spark. In the tradition of old fables and fairy tales, ‘Robber's Cub’ is a timeless story about tolerance and about caring for others, even for an enemy’s child.
An artist and LGTBQ+ activist is mourning the loss of her wife who died unexpectedly of cancer a few years earlier. To break out of her loneliness and her impasse, she leaves for the United States. There she repeats the road trip taken by Carol and Therese, the central characters in the book ‘Carol’ by Patricia Highsmith. 'Magnificent Monster' is a compelling journey in which Pierets offers sophisticated insights on relationships, art and loss.
A magnificent style – scholarly but vivid and punchy
Ons Brussel
James Ensor (1860–1949) was everything in one: cocky and solitary, baron and bohemian, a misunderstood bourgeois, a peintre maudit who surveyed the world from his ivory tower in Ostend and sought refuge in the salons of Brussels. Min peels away the mask of the mythmaker to create a wonderful portrait of this enigmatic and multi-faceted painter.
Brilliant. An already great artist reaching even greater heights
The Comics Journal
‘Sunday’ follows a man from morning till midnight. For 472 pages, we follow every single one of his banal, uninteresting, sometimes embarrassing and frequently irritating thoughts. From this seemingly dull and unlikely premise, Olivier Schrauwen manages to distil a brilliant graphic novel.
On a cold winter’s day, Mika and Pip, a couple without children, make a snow child. The child of ice comes to life, laughs and runs, and is given the name Winter. When Winter secretly goes outside to play hide-and-seek in the spring sun, no one can find him... 'Where is Winter?' is a comforting story that makes us feel what the arrival of a child means, how painful parting can be, and how hope brings life.
Salumu’s debut novel chafes, clings, touches and shames
De Morgen
Bintje, who carries both Belgium and Congo within her, struggles with the process of forming an identity and with the influence of the socio-political situation on a family. In meticulous prose, Salumu shows what it’s like to grow up as a girl and woman of colour in a white environment. She raises fascinating philosophical questions about identity, generational trauma, admiration and parenthood, and succeeds in deeply affecting the reader with this passionate debut.
As a child, Tomiko dreams of other lives and the other people around her. She wants to be far away from the red door that follows her everywhere. When she gets bigger, she decides to flee, further and further from the person she was as a little girl. But even though Tomiko travels to the other side of the world, she can’t leave her past behind. In this debut, Kevin Sezgin creates an intriguing world reminiscent of the work of Shaun Tan.
Minimalist with strong dialogue. Simply extremely powerful
De Stripkever
Two strangers at a bar become embroiled in a philosophical discussion about belief, disbelief, science, truth and God, while the bartender acts as a peacekeeper. Ben Gijsemans’ minimalist linework gives us little more than talking heads and the bar with the three characters. ‘The Barflies’ is a remarkable book about conviction, faith and self-image, and ultimately also about persuasion.
De Vlieger approaches her subject with sincere admiration, and it shows.
NRC
The chicken is more intelligent, more important and more beautiful than we tend to think. It’s high time to become more familiar with this exceptional creature that’s found everywhere but about which we know little. 'The Big Chicken Book' is bursting with love for the bird, convincing even the most ardent chicken-haters.
An outstanding exploration of a little-known niche world.
Humo
Dive into the alienating world of 0xBlixa, the online alter-ego of 31 year old Paul. He's a self-proclaimed 'venture capitalist angel investor in search of inner peace'. Van Meenen examines the dark side of the crypto universe, exposing the intoxicating allure of profit and the risks that come with it. Paul's quest for a slower life clashes with his online presence: gradually more and more cracks appear in his world.
Araya moves from Belgium to Thailand to go live with her mother. In simple black-and-white drawings, the semi-autobiographical ‘Araya’ paints a complex portrait of a young woman struggling with her bi-cultural identity, her sexuality, the relationship with her mother and her self-image.
Olaf's world is shaken by the sudden reappearance of his best friend W. in Antwerp. The news marks the start of thirteen gripping days in which he goes searching for answers. Why did W. disappear? How real are Olaf's memories of their friendship? Hiemstra's debut pays tribute to youth and the idealism that goes with it. An addictive novel with distinctly layered characters, playful in its language and composition.
The diary of the ‘Flemish Sartre’, which after reading just one page is impossible to put down.
NRC Handelsblad
Leopold Flam (1912-1995) lived for the greater part of his childhood in a cellar inAntwerp. At the age of thirteen, Flam started keeping a diary that was as candid as it was grim. The fact that he managed to lift himself out of the extreme poverty of his early years rates as a minor miracle. The son of beggars eventually became a professor of philosophy.Leopold Flam published an impressive number of books and articles, but his diaries – which he kept all his life, literally until he was on his deathbed – are among his strongest work. Out of more than two million (!) words, Kristien Hemmerechts and Guido Van Wambeke have compiled a fascinating book.
After the death of her father, twelve-year-old Lena is utterly at a loss. She becomes convinced a sea monster is to blame, but nobody believes her. Along with her new friend Vincent, she sets off in search of proof. ‘Sea Sparkle’ is both a thrilling adventure story and a spot-on portrait of a young girl who is struggling to deal with overwhelming grief. A strong and multi-layered debut.
Mannaert is one of the stars of the contemporary graphic novel
Enola
The Pellinors have been hunting the Beast for a thousand years - to no avail. Reluctantly, their descendant Pelli decides to accept the quest of his forefathers. With its colourful, dynamic drawings and wondrous events, ‘The Quest’ is bound to appeal to young and old alike.
Anaïs Van Ertvelde was born with a short right forearm. A matter of course for her, she thought, but other people seemed to question it. At a certain point she discovered that there was much more behind that disability, in both personal and social terms.
In this coming-of-age novel we follow Ajali during her final year at secondary school. As a child of Rwandan refugees, she has difficulty finding her place in society. She feels distanced both from her family and from her white classmates. Not a single word is wasted in ‘Companions in Fate’. In a style both clear and incisive, Ingabire has written a relevant and necessary tale about growing up, trauma and love in a family that struggles both with silence and the past.
A consummate storyteller. Narrative history of the most fascinating kind
Knack
The French Revolution and Napoleon: two epic, captivating tales from western history brought together in a vibrant and compelling narrative. This revised and expanded edition is the result of working on the French translation, published by Flammarion in 2023.
A tour de force. Engagingly and faultlessly executed
De Morgen
In ‘A Book Full of Houses’, Pieter Van Eenoge is able to give free rein to his love of architecture. In his clear painting style, which gives the impression of being almost geometric, he brings famous houses and architectural forms to life. This is a colourful and intriguing work that treats both iconic architectural achievements and bizarre curiosities with equal amounts of love.
Reading Brecht Evens is a sensory experience. The colours explode on every page
RTBF
In preparation for the battle between good and evil that is just a matter of time, Arthur’s father trains him and talks him into believing that nobody can be trusted. In his incomparable fashion, Brecht Evens creates the paranoid world of a child who is doomed to mistake illusion for truth.
The pinnacle of his oeuvre, that can easily rival the absurdist novels of ideas by Camus.
De Standaard
Peter wants to see the Second World War end as quickly as possible, so he joins the resistance. Engaging in arms drops, sabotage missions, and defending a bridge, he witnesses the brutal toll of conflict. According to D’Haese, not only is warfare senseless, all of life is subject to existential doubt. ‘Holy Wrath’, with its acerbic anti-war message, remains relevant and topical today.
A clever and sultry story in sensual language that shimmers between the lines
Het Parool
Fourteen-year-old Jakob is head-over-heels in love with Julia, his older brother Esse's girlfriend. Jakob finds out that Esse is risking a great deal in his efforts to make his dream a reality. To impress Julia, Jakob tries to save his brother, but things don’t turn out the way he hoped. Herman van de Wijdeven shows himself at his best, with extraordinarily well-drawn personalities, tension that winds to a fever pitch, sensual language and a lot that can be read between the lines.
Harry Kessler was an intellectual dandy, and politics and art were the focus of his life. He defended the arts from every form of political interference. As an arts patron, lover of males, publisher, thinker and writer, he pledged himself to no one and refused to live according to other people’s expectations.
