https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Sloane-Salammbô-Philippe-Druillet/dp/6554482601

Considered one of the greatest literary geniuses in history, the French writer Gustave Flaubert surprised his readers in 1862 with the release of “Salammbô,” a novel that bears no resemblance to his earlier, more realistic works. Born from numerous trips to Tunisia and a desire to escape to a distant past, the plot unfolds during the early Punic Wars and narrates a saga of epic battles, esoteric rituals, and acts of profound cruelty. On one side, we have the imposing city of Carthage, ruled with an iron fist by General Hamilcar Barca and his dazzling daughter Salammbô. On the other, a large army of mercenaries led by the rebel hero Mâtho and the freed slave Espêndio.

More than a century later, in 1980, the comic book artist Philippe Druillet, responsible for revolutionizing modern science fiction as one of the founders of the seminal magazine Métal Hurlant, also surprised his readers with an unexpected undertaking. Known for his graphic and narrative experiments, Druillet decided to reimagine Flaubert’s book as a grand psychedelic space opera , in which the cosmic adventurer Lone Sloane, his best-known character, assumes the role of Mâtho, and Carthage is reconfigured as the seat of the oppressive star empire.