Francq - Lot 120

Francq PHILIPPE FRANCQ LARGO WINCH H (T.5), Dupuis 1994 Original plate no. 15. India ink and blue pencil on paper 36.8 × 50 cm (14.49 × 19.69 in.) Largo stays overnight with Giuseppe Scarpa, an unscrupulous and manipulative scientist and industrialist. His goal is to seize the patent for the revolutionary treatment developed by the W Group, a drug that is supposed to slow cellular aging. He's in "seduction" mode with Largo, who's more sensitive to other types of charm... What sets Philippe Francq's illustrations apart is the accuracy and precision of his line. His plates are teeming with details, each one carefully documented and depicted. Here we have a perfect example: whether it's the drapery on the curtains or the sheets, the intricate carvings on the headboard, the costume of the charming lady who has come to seduce the billionaire in blue jeans (note that she's wearing stockings...), the anatomy or the breakfast room, everything is precise, clear, legible and organized to serve Jean Van Hamme's prodigious script, which delves into the psychology of the characters in every scene. An essential classic of Belgian comics.