There's no denying that André Franquin, together with Tove Jansson, is one of my all time favourite artists. This has been made obvious in many reviews and articles that I have written throughout the years. I grew up with his Spirou and Gaston and thought that Franquin's vivid line was the very best in all comics, and still do.
In Sweden, we don't get much European comics translated anymore, so it was with great delight that I threw myself at this beautiful collection of Franquin's Idées Noire. I have of course read these comics before, but never treated with such great care as here. This book is oversized, hardcover, with great reproduction and an insightful preface by historian and translator Björn Wahlberg. And the Swedish texts were done by Göran Ribe, a meticulous and well read translator, who manages to get everything flowing in Swedish.
All-in-all, I'm impressed, both with the production of this book, and of course by the incredible black and white comics that Franquin produced at the end of hs career. Yes he seems to have been rather depressed and/or cynical about the world while writing and drawing them, and the outlook is often pretty bleak, but there is a sense of humanity, of defiance against an oppressive system that makes them not only readable, but enjoyable.
So, a five out of five is almost not enough, from my perspective. A great book, that I will cherish and reread as often as I can.