Tardi’s art is a masterclass in atmosphere—crooked streets, smoky railway stations, and the sepia-tinted glow of a Paris that never quite existed. And through it all glides Adèle, a woman armed with nothing but a sharp tongue, a sharper mind, and the absolute certainty that she is the smartest person in any room.

What makes Adèle unforgettable? Her glorious selfishness. She is not noble. She is not self-sacrificing. She is pragmatic, sarcastic, and fiercely independent. She will steal a sacred Egyptian artifact, blackmail a museum curator, and still have the nerve to complain about the quality of the coffee.

And if you’ve never met Adèle Blanc-Sec, you haven’t met the most charmingly cynical adventurer in all of comics.

It’s witty. It’s bizarre. It’s wildly French.