Pénélope Bagieu's Brazen is a collection of 29 comics biographies originally created for the French newspaper, Le Monde.  Employing a clear concise line and limited but playful color palette, for the most part within a well thought out nine-panel grid layout, Bagieu's work is eminently readable, and one finishes this 300 page volume ready for more.

Each of these pithy bios is informative and fun, pulling off the coveted accomplishment of entertaining while educating.  In other words, they're great comics!  And, as an added bonus, each bio is topped off with a celebratory double-page splash illustration.  All wrapped up in a great package for a great price!

Among those rebel ladies whose lives and achievments are featured are Tove Jansson, Josephine Baker, Delia Akely, Betty Davis, Nelly Bly, Hedy Lamarr, Temple Grandin, Las Mariposas, The Shaggs(!), and twenty others who, while perhaps less well known, have achievements and life-stories that are every bit as engaging.

The stories here are so engaging that they will, in many instances, leave readers curious to learn more about their subjects (which particular subjects are likely to be different for each reader).  In fact, we fully expect these brief bios to inspire more than one full-length comics biography.  

Read a quickie interview with Bagieu on The Nerdist, HERE.

Translated into English by Montana Kane.