April And The Extraordinary World (French May 2016)

Here is an alternate version of Paris in the post-industrial era. Instead of dying at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon III meets his demise in a laboratory accident caused by a mad scientist. Since then, scientists have been mysteriously disappearing, and for 70 years depriving mankind of their inventions. A second Eiffel Tower is built, nearly all vegetation is killed off by pollution, and the Grand Palais is refurbished into a giant greenhouse. April, a daughter of two missing scientists, decides to start off her adventure with a talking cat Darwin to find her parents and carry on her family’s science research. Meanwhile, officer Pizoni is also hunting for her parents whom he believes must still be alive. Adapted from the brilliant work of Jacque Tardi, this combination of colors and melancholy stickily delivers an impressive visual experience for both children and adults in striving to make the world a better place.