Freaks' Squeele Vol. 1 Format: Hardback

Imagine a universe where universities exist to not only train future masked vigilantes to manage their superpowers and develop their heroism, but to master their image in the media. This is the world of Freaks’ Squeele. You'll meet Chance the demonette, Shadow the werewolf stuck in his animal form, and Xiong Mao, the model student who has no powers but is a hard worker. At the Academic Faculty of Hero Studies, these three first-year students will discover the joys of university life, the merciless competition of other students, sadistic professors, and the stress of exams.

Part X-Men Academy, part Dungeons & Dragons, this celebrated series by author Florent Maudoux is a unique blend of manga and Western comics, which has spawned multiple spinoffs in its native Europe and beyond.

Florent Maudoux is a French comic book creator born in 1979 known for blending manga, European comics, and pop culture into bold, genre-defying narratives. A graduate of the Gobelins animation school, he began his career in 3D animation and video game design before turning to comics, where his flair for dynamic storytelling and visual experimentation found full expression. He’s best known for Freaks’ Squeele, a cult hit published by Ankama under Label 619, which follows misfit students at a superhero academy, mixing humor, action, and emotional depth. Maudoux expanded the universe with spin-offs like Funérailles, Rouge, and Masiko, each exploring different facets of his richly imagined world. His work is deeply influenced by role-playing games, Hong Kong cinema, and classical art, resulting in stories that are as playful as they are profound.