Ordinary victories (2005)

2004 winner: Le Combat ordinaire, volume 1 Manu Larcenet's photographer Marco has panic attacks, a therapist he is trying to quit and a father who is slipping away, and the book finds both comedy and real ache in that ordinary mess. The cartoony figures sit against gorgeous painted countryside, which is part of its charm. The prize went to the first volume, which appeared in English as Ordinary Victories; it is the right place to start a series that only deepens.