FRANCQ - Lot 84

FRANCQ PHILIPPE FRANCQ LARGO WINCH Shadow (T.12), Dupuis 2002 Original plate no. 41. Signed. India ink on paper 36.5 × 50.2 cm (14.37 × 19.76 in.) The Golden Gate/Shadow diptych is a special moment in the adventures of Largo Winch: it's the first scenario not adapted from the novels Jean Van Hamme had written previously. The creation of the two albums coincided with the release of the series in 2001-2002 - with Italian actor Paolo Seganti in the title role - whose production must have given Jean Van Hamme the idea of setting an album in the world of cinema, to take revenge, who knows... We're in the final sequence of the album where Largo Winch, aided by the FBI, manages to save young Sarah Washington in extremis from a snuff film produced by a network of mafiosi versed in prostitution. Largo's knife-throwing skills save the day. As usual, Philippe Francq's cutting is insanely skilful. His counter-fields follow one another in rapid succession, leaving the reader no time to breathe. It's brilliant and inspired.