The opening pages of Belladone Tome 1 - Marie

Artist: Pierre Alary

Pierre Alary. Ange, BELLADONE TOME 1: MARIE. [SN23216X] $29

Toulon: Soleil, 2004. 4to (11-13"), 48pp, color illustrations, hardcover pictorial boards. Fine.

This French album is a beauty. Set in 1680 Paris (the era of the three musketeers), this rousing adventure is the story of Marie, code name Belladone, a beautiful female spy seeking to thwart the assassination of Louis XIV. Pierre Alary is a former animator at Disney's studio in France. (He was one of the animators of Tarzan under Glen Keane.) This is his third French album. His work is fluid and nimble and full of charm. And these strengths are multiplied with a beautiful long-haired heroine and the billowy fashions of the era. Text in French.