Exquisite Corpse

Exquisite Corpse is the English language debut of French cartoonist and hyphenate Pénélope Bagieu, a blogger, editorial illustrator, rock and roll drummer and honest-to-goodness knight (Well, a Chevalier des arts et des lettre; I don't think she carries a sword or anything). Originally published in 2010 as Cadavre exquis, it's come to America courtesy First Second. It tells the story of Zoe, a twenty-something product rep at sales shows --- which mainly entails dressing up and posing in photos with handsy jerks in front of cars and suchlike --- who goes home to an unemployed loser boyfriend. A chance encounter with an older, reclusive author with a very weird secret (and even weirder publishing plan) introduces her to an odd new lifestyle that's better in many respects, although a loser boyfriend is a loser boyfriend, whether he's an uneducated, uncouth soccer fan or a wealthy narcissist.

The esteemed publisher of American Born Chinese, Laika, Friends with Boys, Boxers and Saints, Battling Boy, Relish, The Shadow Hero and much, much more First Second Books has revealed its lineup of new graphic novel releases for next spring. In keeping with the publisher's history, the slate covers a wide array of subject matter, from kids' adventure comics to explorations of violence and terrorism in the Middle East.