The Killer (Le Tueur)

The Killer follows an unnamed contract murderer whose practiced detachment is constantly tested by the people and systems around him. The first French album, Long feu, appeared from Casterman in 1998.

Matz's internal monologue gives the violence a chillingly rational voice, while the story keeps exposing the limits of that rationale.

Its distinctive perspective comes from staying close to a narrator who believes he understands his own motives. The reader must continually judge the distance between his self-portrait and his actions.

Psychological crime fiction drives the series. The procedural details of a hitman's work serve a broader study of control, isolation and moral evasion.

Jacamon uses color, framing and measured pacing to move between patient surveillance and sudden violence. The calm surfaces make the character's choices feel more disturbing.