The Court Charade: A Graphic Novel

A plucky protagonist triumphs over pompous palace society in this playful graphic novel from Beautiful Darkness creator Kerascoët (a shared pseudonym for Marie Pommepuy and Sébastien Cosset), which adapts Vesco’s 2015 French novel De Cape et de Mots. The imaginative Serine, eldest daughter of a destitute noble family, heads to the royal court to seek her fortune as a lady-in-waiting. At court, Serine dodges enemies—like the king’s handsy secretary—and gains allies, such as Leon, the lowly torturer’s apprentice, whose cheerful prisoners declare that “a little agony from time to time breaks up the monotony.... It keeps one in shape!” Serine transforms into a court jester to hide her true identity, mocking the milieu while she escapes trickster-like from dangers ranging from wardrobe malfunctions to being thrown out of a window and nearly drowned. Along the way, she wins her freedom, her family’s stability, and even a new beau. Vesco’s world resembles a fairy tale version of 18th-century France, where ignorance and cruelty hold little power against cleverness and kindness. Kerascoët’s charming, lightly cartoony art and evocative character designs brim with energy, practically leaping off the page. The result is a delightful adventure ideal for fans of Jules Feiffer. (Mar.)