Baloney by Pascal Blanchet is the tragic tale of a butcher in a cold, cliffside village. Beautifully illustrated in a retro graphic style, the story's musical references add another dimension of art to the mix (it is sub-titled A Tale in 3 Symphonic Acts). Blanchet's restrained palette provides a dignified backdrop to this tale of bad luck and evil doing. It's too difficult to pick a favourite page of illustrations, but the butcher's daughter certainly does steal many a scene. An added bonus is a playlist at the end, with an emphasis on Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

Paperback, 80 pages. Drawn and Quarterly, 2009. $13.22 at Amazon.

+ Baloney at Amazon