EUROPEAN GRAPHIC NOVELS

A graphic novel is a type of comic book usually with a long and complex storyline similar to those of novels. The term also encompasses comic short story anthologies, and in some cases bound collections of previously published comic book series.

Graphic novels are often published in a better format than the comic magazines, using the same materials and methods as printed books, and are generally sold in bookstores and specialty comic book shops rather than at newsstands.

TORPEDO

Torpedo, or Torpedo 1936, is a Spanish comics series written by Enrique Sánchez Abulí and drawn by Jordi Bernet, which depicts the adventures of the antagonistic character Luca Torelli, a heartless hitman (killer), and his sidekick (friend) Rascal, in context of the violent organized crime culture of New York during the Great Depression era.
The series was originally developed by Abulí and veteran artist Alex Toth, who drew the first two stories in 1981. The collaboration ended when Toth decided he did not share Abulí's darkly humorous view of mankind, and withdrew from the project. He was then replaced by Jordi Bernet, whose gritty, if stylized, artistic style was well suited for the dark and violent subject matter.
The albums were translated into several languages. The public response to the series became substantial, and it was awarded with the 1986 Angoulême Best Foreign Album Award.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_(comics)